Twinlight
by KylieAyn
Summary: Twins Bella and Emma Swan reluctantly move to small, rainy Forks, expecting to be bored to death before they can even graduate high school. When they meet the Cullen clan, however, their sisterhood is tested by supernatural secrets. What does Emma know about the mysterious family, and can she protect Bella from finding out? Timeline compliant, canon ships.
1. Green

**A/N:** Rewriting one of my old fics. I haven't even read Twilight fanfiction in so long, so please bear with me as I try to get my groove back with this world. This chapter is extremely close to the text to help get me back in the swing of it, but it'll get less so as I continue. We'll see how this goes.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x...

* * *

 **Chapter One – Green**

SUNDAY, JANUARY 16, 2005

Forks, Washington must be the soggiest place in the whole country. The rain never stops, the temperature never drifts above the sixties, and everything is in shades of green. It's like an alien planet compared to hot, dry, tan Phoenix, Arizona. Whenever Bella and I had to come up during summers so we could see Charlie, our dad, we weren't exactly subtle about our distaste for the small town. Three years ago, after we turned fourteen, we finally convinced Charlie to meet us in perfectly temperate California instead.

Renee, our mom, remarried to Phil, though. He's a baseball player, so travels a lot, and we could tell that Mom was sad that she couldn't go with him because she had to take care of us. So, we volunteered to go live with Charlie for the rest of our high school career so that she could be with her beau. All three of our parents were confused about our decision, but pleased nonetheless. Charlie even already registered us for school and said he'd help us get a car. No public transportation in itty-bitty Forks, apparently.

"Goodbye sun, goodbye heat, goodbye vigorous city," Bella mumbles as she pulls her parka over her long brown hair. She'd worn a sleeveless lace top as a farewell gesture, an unfortunate decision as we step off our second plane into the clean Olympic air. During our layover in Seattle, the air-conditioned terminals were comfortable. This tiny Port Angeles airport is just straight up chilly.

Grabbing our luggage from the designated area and heading outside into the drizzle, we only take two steps before we see Charlie waiting for us with the cruiser. To the good people of Forks, Mr. Dad is Chief Swan. Our primary motivation for getting our own car despite limited funds is the cruiser—nothing slows down traffic like red and blue lights on your roof.

"It's really good to see you, Bells, Em." He awkwardly one-arm hugs each of us, then loads our bags into the trunk. It's a light job, two suitcases each plus our backpacks. Most of our clothes back in Phoenix weren't exactly Washington-proof. We kept a couple pairs of shorts and tanks out of spite, but the rest comes out to a few pairs of jeans and slew of layerable shirts. Neither of us are really much of "stuff" people, so except for some books for Bells and paintings for me, we didn't bring much else.

"You too, Dad," we reply in unison. We're not allowed to call him Charlie to his face.

He chuckles at us—it always creeps him out when we do the twin thing. "How's Renee?"

"Mom's fine. She says hi." I slide into the backseat of the cruiser, partially obstructed from my sister and dad by the cage-like partition. Rather her up front than me, though. Bella takes after Charlie in the talking department—as in, she's not a talker. Really, I think she got most of Charlie's personality genes when we were in utero; the introversion, the strong sense of responsibility, the patience. Conversely, I inherited Renee's flakier, more hot-headed brand of independence. And while we all grow naturally dark brown hair, I got the recessive gene to turn my eyes hazel instead of chocolate like Bella and Renee. Otherwise I look a little more like Charlie, with a squarer jaw and cleft chin and more peak to my eyebrows, and Bella got the heart-shaped face and straighter brows of our mother. The only way I don't look part of a perfect set is the beigey blonde I dye my head with.

"I found a really good car for you two, really cheap," he announces. Bella and I share a stare.

"What kind of car?" I ask.

Charlie glances in the rear-view mirror to see my narrowed eyes. "It's a Chevy, a two-door, but big, a SUV."

"Where did you find it?" Bella tries to sound optimistic, lilting her question mark too high.

"Do remember Billy Black down at La Push?"

"No," Bella answers, totally lost.

"The tiny native reservation on the coast. The dude who went fishing with us, summers way back. I accidentally caught his face on the fly and scarred his jaw," I remind her.

She nods as the memory surfaces in her mind. That explains why she doesn't remember him. She does a good job of blocking painful, unnecessary things from her memory. Plus, I think she fainted when the cut on his face; that in itself would make her forget a little something or two.

"He's in a wheelchair now," Charlie continues as he tries to ignore recalling that incident, "so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his car for cheap."

"What year is it?" I grimace, envisioning some bulky clunker built in the fifties that couldn't go past sixty miles per hour anymore.

He looks a little sheepish, scratching his mustache. "Well, Billy's done some work on it, it's only a few years old, really. And I think he bought it sort of close to new. It's, ah, a 1976 Blazer, blue with black insides. And he's pretty good with cars, if you ever run into trouble with it—not that I think you will, but, you know, just as a precaution."

Bella and I both relax under our seatbelts. The car is still over a decade older than us, but not nearly as terrible as feared. And earlier this year I convinced Phil to show me some under-the-hood know-how so that, hopefully, in minor breakdowns I can do something about it. My dear clumsy twin just has to look at a wrench wrong and has to get stitches. But someone's gotta know how to change a tire in this sisterhood, so here I am.

"Okay. How cheap is cheap?" Bella asks, ever the brains of our operation.

"Well, honey, I kind of already bought it for you as a homecoming gift." Charlie peeks at her sideways with a hopeful smile.

Wow, free.

"You didn't need to do that," Bells and I say together. Her way is much more sincere and mine more for formalities. She grits her teeth at me, making me shrug innocently, then she turns back to Charlie. "We were going to buy ourselves a car."

"I don't mind. I want you to be happy here." He stares ahead at the road, uncomfortable with expressing his emotions out loud. Bella, again showing just whose daughter she really is, looks out the window when she responds.

"That's really nice, Dad. Thanks. We really appreciate it." No need to add that us being happy in Forks is impossible. He doesn't need to suffer along with us. I pipe in my thanks and start to wrap a hug from around the seat, until remembering the perp-partition is still in fact there.

"Well, now, you're welcome," he mumbles, embarrassed by our thanks.

We exchange a few more pleasantries about the weather (wet, dim) then that's pretty much it for conversation, and we look out our respective windows. The landscape is beautiful, we can't deny that. Lush to the extreme, fresh to death. Fairy tale quality scenery. If it was sunny and dreamy, instead of constantly soaking, I could really love it. That, and if it was a real city and not practically a parish.

Eventually we make it to Charlie's. He still lives in the small, two-bedroom house that he bought with Renee in the early days of their marriage, that Bella and I spent our infancy in. And there, parked on the street in front of the house, is our new car. Navy paint faded with years, with a small dent in the bumper, a two-inch crack at the top of the windshield, and mismatched hubcaps. The vehicle looks pretty substantial – it would hardly be demolished in an accident, probably rough up the opposing car pretty well. It could be better, but it isn't half bad. I can tell from her expression that Bella really likes it.

"Thank you, Dad!" We grin at him, again speaking as one. The first day of school tomorrow will be much less horrific now that we neither have to walk two miles in the rain nor get a ride in the Chief's cruiser.

"I'm glad you like it," Charlie says gruffly, squirming again. "C'mon, let's get your bags inside while the rain's still light."

It takes only one trip to get all our stuff upstairs. One of the best things about Charlie is that he doesn't hover. He leaves us at the landing to unpack and get settled—a feat that would've been impossible for our mother. We head to the west bedroom that faces over the front yard. The room is familiar, still smells faintly of Bella's sugary chamomile and, what she claims is, my fruity cinnamon. The dark hardwood floor, the light blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellowing lace curtains billowing around the window – these were all part of our childhood. The only changes Charlie ever made were switching the double-crib with two full beds and a desk as we grew. Said desk now perches a second-hand computer, with the phone line for the modem stapled along the floor to the nearest phone jack. This was a stipulation from our mother, so that she could easily get in touch with us easily, before I'd gotten us a laptop last year. The rocking chair from our baby days is situated in the corner.

There's only one bathroom at the top of the stairs, which we will all have to share. We try not to dwell too much on that fact. The good news is that Bella hardly ever bothers with makeup, and I stick to more basic products, so I just put those materials in a small caddy on top of our pine dresser and resolve to purchase a little vanity mirror. Natural light from the window is better anyway…if the clouds ever part, that is.

We make plans to go room-shopping, just for the mirror and new curtains and some candles, then fall into a comfortable silence. It's nice for it to be just the two of us, to not to have to smile or look pleased; a relief to stare dejectedly out the window at the sheeting rain and let just a few tears escape. I wrap my arms around Bella's shoulders and nuzzle my cheek against hers. Neither of us are in the mood to go on a real crying jag. Better to save it for bedtime, when we have to think about the coming morning.

Forks High School has a staggering total of only three hundred and fifty-seven, now fifty-nine, students; there were more than seven hundred people in our year alone back home. All of these kids have grown up together, their parents grown up together, grandparents even. We'll be the new girls from the big city, curiosities. I look down at my circled arms and Bella's hand on my elbow. With our pale skin, no doubt people are gonna ask if we're really from Arizona. Because of my sister's wealth of physical incoordination and my willful lack of competitiveness, we were never the athletic sort. Bella likes literature. I like art. The indoors has always been our friend.

I give my sister a squeeze then let go so she can go shower first, and hope she doesn't feel my eyes on her back as she walks away. I'm worried for her about school. She's never been great at making friends. Never been able to find her niche with anyone, especially people our own age. Renee was probably her best friend outside of myself, and even then, it was still a parent-child relationship, though often flipped. Only she and I have ever been in harmony…but never precisely on the same page. I've always felt content in our own little world—other people are okay, having amicable acquaintances is nice, but knowing I have at least this one real soulmate is enough for me. Bella, on the other hand, seems to have been born lonely.

* * *

MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2005

Neither of us sleep well, even after we're done crying and Bella climbs into my bed. The constant whooshing of the rain and wind across the roof won't fade into the background. Bella pulls my faded old quilt over her head and later the pillow, too.

"Stop hogging, Bells." I yank the pillow back and stuff it under my own head, but we still can't fall asleep until well after midnight, when the rain finally settles to a sprinkle.

My eyelids creep open of their own accord, my twin-sense tingling. I see her standing before the window, looking a lot more awake than I feel, and I silently force myself up and step behind her. Thick fog is all we can see out our window, the claustrophobia slinking upon us. You can never see the sky here.

"It's like a cage," I whisper. Bella jumps, startled by my ninja skills. She nods blankly once her heartbeat slows down again. Suddenly she whips her eyes toward me.

"You're awake? You're not snoozing another ten?"

I glare halfheartedly at her. "You woke me up when you got out of bed…you took the covers with you and I got cold," I gesture to the blankets that on the floor. She blushes and apologizes, then goes to get ready. Once she's out of the way of the window, I lean close so my forehead is nearly touching the glass. Chill radiates from it, lifting goosebumps on my arms. With the gray covering everything on the other side, I feel like I could fall right out the window into nothingness. Honestly, that's what moving to Forks feels like in general.

I release my staring contest with the window and trade places with Bella, who returns from the bathroom. She's already dressed, looking comfortable and unassuming in her dark blue jumper and sandy jeans. Taking my makeup caddy with me, I quickly throw on some mascara, lip gloss, and a dusting of blush. I wonder if Bells would let me rose her cheeks a little too—our shared paleness looks more pallid on her because of the dark hair. I'll sneak attack her after breakfast. First, I need to make sure I do not make the Show Up To School In My Underwear dream a reality. I scurry back to our bedroom and rifle through our wardrobe, plucking black jeans and an olive pullover. I look around the floor, but it seems that Bella already claimed the Converse, so I decide on the short brown biker boots and thump them down the stairs.

Breakfast with Charlie is a quiet event, since I'm still too tired to strike up a conversation. He wishes us luck at school. We thank him but exchange a glance: we don't think much of this _good luck_ thing – it's the first day at a new high school, how can we? Charlie leaves first, off to the police station that is his wife and family. Once we're alone, we sit at the old square table in two of the three mismatching chairs and examined his small kitchen, with its dark paneled walls, bright yellow cabinets Renee painted to bring some sunshine to the house, and white linoleum floor. Nothing has ever changed, except the growing accumulation of our school portraits on the mantle over the little fireplace in the matchbox living room, next to Charlie and Renee's wedding photo. It is becoming uncomfortably clear that he's never gotten over our mom.

"Sunshine yellow is too cheery this early in the morning," I groan, letting my head drop onto the table, barely missing my bowl of Fruit Loops. Bella snickers at me and bites off another piece of toast, checking the clock.

"Come on, we should get there a little early so that we have time to review our schedules and such." She picks up her plate and sets it in the sink, then waits for me to shove the remains of my cereal down my throat before I come and lay my empty bowl in as well. "Awake yet?"

"No, but I can feel myself getting a bit perkier. Is there a Starbucks in this town?"

"I highly doubt it."

"Why can't we have nice things?"

"Forks has everything but that. Go do your final business so we can get this show on the road."

Two minutes later I slide in front of her and flourish a brush across her face. She smacks it out of my hand, but the deed is done: my tamest shade of pink blush livens up her cheeks just enough. After getting scolded for scaring her, we don our matching rain jackets and I grab the car keys.

"Dibs on wheel!" I laugh gaily, catching myself on the side mirror before I slip on the soaked ground. She laughs as she locks the front door with the hidden key under the eave (Charlie is supposed to make us our copies today while he's at work) and then walks carefully around to the passenger side door, hurrying as safely as possible to get out of the misty wet.

The inside of the truck is dry and clean, but still smells vaguely of tobacco and peppermint. I drive us onto the main road, just above the speed limit, glancing over the dashboard and felling how well it's running and all that car-like business. Bella turns on the radio and finds a Seattle station that played some type of indie music she likes. Very not my own style, but I don't want to upset my dearest twin sister on the first day of school, so I just make a little face at her choice of tunes, but don't argue or change it. She thanks me with a look, to which I wink dramatically back.

Finding the school isn't difficult. Like most other things here, it's just off the highway. It isn't obvious as a school, though; only the sign declaring it to be Forks High School made me stop. It looks like a spattering of matching brick houses. Trees and shrubs surround the buildings, camouflaging how big the campus really may be.

"Anyone else missing the chain-link fences and metal detectors?" Bella whispers. I nod, wondering where the feel of institution is.

I park in front of the first building, which has a small sign over the door reading Front Office. No one else is parked here, so it could be off limits, but I really don't care. We'll move somewhere else once we know the rules, and besides, we're the Chief's kids. Who's gonna snitch on us?

I hop out of the car, slamming the door shut, then wait for my twin by the hood. She takes a deep breath before following suit, linking arms with me as we enter the small structure. Inside is brightly lit and warm. Not unlike any other school office, it's small with outdated carpeting and plastic waiting chairs. Fake plants fill every corner, as if there isn't enough greenery right outside the door. A clock ticks loudly above the plump redhead behind the long counter. The secretary looks up. "Can I help you, chickadees?"

"I'm Emma Swan, and this is my sister, Isabella," I inform her, and awareness lights her eyes. We're expected, a topic of gossip no doubt. The twin daughters of the Chief's flighty ex-wife, come home at last. Bella shifts her weight next to me.

"Of course," she says. She digs around through a precariously stacked pile of documents on her desk till she finds the ones with our names at the top. "I have your schedules right here, and a map of the school." She spreads several sheets on the counter to show us.

She goes through our classes for us, highlights our lockers in the central cafeteria building, shows us the best route to each one on the map, and gives us slips to have each of our teachers sign, which we're to bring back at the end of the day. Thank the heaven and stars, they've put us in most of the same classes. She pinches a grin at us and hopes, like Charlie, that we like it here in Forks. I beam realistically and Bella smiles back as convincingly as she can.

We go back to the car with our forms; other students are starting to arrive. I drive around the school, following the line of traffic. Bella, I can tell, is glad to see that our car doesn't stand out in any way. The nicest and newest vehicle here is a shiny silver Volvo. A far cry from the latest Mercedes and Porsches that populated our old high school—at home we lived in one of the few low-income neighborhoods zoned in the otherwise affluent Paradise Valley School District. I turn into an open spot across the lot from it.

I notice Bella staring intently at the map, trying to memorize it and not have to have it stuck in front of her nose all day, and laugh. "Chill out, Bells, it's not a big place – we'll be fine," I assure, filching the map from her and tucking it into my bag along with my other papers. She sighs but copies me anyway, slinging her bag over her shoulder, and sucks in a huge breath. _I can do this_ , she lies to herself. _No one's going to bite me_.

"Just step out of the car, and I'll be right there with you, okay?" I smile at her, hazel eyes boring intensely into her own chocolate ones. She exhales the breath she'd been holding and nods, returning my smile. And with that, she exits the car and pretty much into the spotlight.

We fight the urge to link arms again as we walk to the sidewalk that was crowded with teenagers. Our plain black jackets don't stand out, Bella notes with relief. I, however, wear a tiny, curious smile on my face and assess everyone we pass, memorizing them, and filing them into my mental filter under either Irrelevant or Potential Friend. My cautious ease makes Bella relax a little – she knows that I'm looking out for her.

Once we round the cafeteria, Building Three is easy to spot. A large black "3" is painted on a white square on the east corner. I hear my sister's breathing gradually creeping toward hyperventilation as we approach the classroom. She tries to hold her breath as we follow two unisex windbreakers through the door. I nudge her, whisper to breathe, then squeeze her arm for good measure. She does as told, and thankfully it works. I can't stand it when Bella's distressed.

The room is small, and we follow the example of the people in front of us as they hang their coats on a long row of hooks. They're two girls, one a porcelain-skinned blonde, and the other also pale, with light brown hair. At least our complexion is common here.

We take our slips up the teacher, a tall, balding man whose desk has a nameplate identifying him as Mr. Mason. He gawks at us when he sees our names – not an encouraging response – and of course Bella flushes tomato red, and I grit my teeth. He sends us to two empty desks in the back without introducing us to the class. Praise the stars.

While it should be harder for our new classmates to stare at us here in the back, somehow they manage. I meet each of their stares when I notice them, inspecting them just as much, but my twin kept her eyes down on the reading list the teacher gives us. The list is fairly basic; that was comforting. And boring. We've already read everything he's discussing. I wonder if we can just submit some of our old essays if Renee will mail them to us, or if she'll think that was cheating. I sense Bell go through different arguments in her head while the teacher drones on. I stifle a giggle at her concentrated dazing as I doodle aimlessly on the desktop.

When the bell finally rings, a nasal buzzing sound, a gangly boy with unfortunate blemishes and hair black as an oil slick leans across the aisle to talk to us.

"You're Isabella and Emma Swan, aren't you?" He looks like the overly helpful, chess club type.

"Yeah, I'm Emma and this is my sister, Bella," I introduce, emphasizing the change of Bell's name. Everyone within a three-seat radius turns to watch us.

"Where's your next class?" he asks.

I look to her, hinting that it's her turn to talk. She has to check the schedule in her bag. "Um, Government, with Jefferson, in building six." There's nowhere to looking without meeting curious eyes, so she just stares at the paper.

"I'm headed toward building four, I could show you the way." Definitely over-helpful. "I'm Eric," he adds.

Bella smiles tentatively and accepts. Wish I had butted in before that, but…well, no, this is good for Bella. Hopefully she can make some friends this time around.

We put our jackets back on, link arms, and head out into the rain, which has picked up. Eric tries to make small talk with us, to which Bella gives terse answers and sarcasm back. I glance at the eavesdroppers behind us, but otherwise just keep taking in the oddly spaced school. Except for the mobile classrooms our old school added next to the football field to accommodate the increasing number of students, I've never seen a high school be more than one building. Maybe it's a subtle trick to help prepare us for how colleges are laid out.

The rest of the morning passes in about the same fashion. We split after Government, me to Art and her to Psych, then meet back up for Trigonometry. The teacher, Mr. Varner, who we would've hated anyway just because of the subject he taught, is the only one who makes us stand in front of the class and introduce ourselves. Bella stammers, blushes, and trips over her own boots on the way to her seat. I steady her before she falls to the ground though, trying not to laugh.

We start to recognize several of the faces in each class at this point. Overly-helpful Eric is in my Physics class after Trig. One girl, Angela, who's in my Art class, seems really nice. Shy, but sweet. I think we'll get along well, and she and my sister will totally take to each other. Several strangers try to ask me how I like Forks, to which I repeatedly reply, "Definitely gonna take some getting used to. I miss the sun. Yes, it's very different from the sweaty deserts of Arizona. It's weird trading palms for pines. No, I don't have enough sweaters. Just how cold does it get around here? Yeah, Bella's doing her best to adjust, too. Yeah, Bella, not Isabella."

Free from science class, I try to catch Bella at our lockers on the way to lunch, narrowly dodging Eric's assistance, but she isn't there. Hurrying into the canteen, I spot her sitting next to a short girl with huge, dark, curly hair who had sat next to her in math class. Jessie, maybe? The chick talks animatedly to Bella about something, flurrying her hands.

"Hey Bella, wait up!" I come running up from behind them, nearing knocking over several other students on my way. A smile opens my cheeks once I'm within a couple feet of Bella, back where we both feel most comfortable. I turn to what's-her-name to get formally introduced by my twin.

"This is my twin sister, Emma." She nudges me with her elbow. I smile and offer a little wave.

"I'm Jessica Stanley, lovely to meet you. Now come on, you guys can sit with me and my friends." She leads us to the end of a full table and introduces us to them all. They seem impressed by Jessica's bravery for adopting us. Bella instantly forgets their names, but I study and catalog each one carefully as I have with everyone I've met today. Angela is here, and I file a boy named Tyler and a boy named Ben also under Potential Friends. A boy from our Government class, Mike Newton, can't stop staring at my sister. I tentatively sort him into Potential Friends, but make a note to keep an eye on him. The other three seem to be Irrelevant, but the haughty expression on the girl named Lauren makes me want to open a third category called People I'd Guiltlessly Strand In The Wilderness. The boy from earlier, undecided Potential Friend Eric, waves at us from across the room.

It's here, sitting in the lunchroom, trying to make conversation with seven curious strangers, that we first see them.

They're clustered in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away as possible from where we sit in the long room. Five of them, not talking, or eating from their full trays, or anything – just staring into space, expressionless.

They look nothing alike. Of the three boys, one is big – muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair. Another is taller, leaner, but still muscular, and honey blonde. The last is lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze hair and is more boyish than the others (who honestly look like they should be in college, hell, even teachers). The girls are opposites. The tall one is statuesque, with a beautiful figure, the kind you see on the cover of the _Sports Illustrated_ swimsuit issue and takes harmful blows to the self-esteem of every other girl in the room. Her hair is golden, gently waving to the middle of her back, and she too looks too old for high school. The short girl is pixie-like, thin in the extreme, with small features. Her hair is a deep black, cropped short and pointing in every direction.

And yet, with their numerous differences, they're all exactly alike. Every one of them is chalky pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town. Paler than even Bella and me. They all have very dark eyes despite the range in their hair tones, and dark shadows underneath – purplish, bruise-like shadows. Their faces, so different, so similar, are all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful. Faces you never expect to see except perhaps on the airbrushed pages of a fashion magazine, or painted by an old master as the face of an angel. It's hard to decide who was the most beautiful, though the Aphrodite-Barbie is probably at the top of my list.

The pixie stands up and dumps her tray in the trash with astounding grace, and a subtle strut that should only belong to an experienced supermodel. She exits the cafeteria without a single word or glance in the direction of her companions.

But all this was not why I can't look away. All I can think is, _No. Not again_.

"Who are _they_?" Bella asks Jessica.

As she looks up to see who my twin means – though already knowing, probably, from Bella's tone – suddenly the thin boyish one, the youngest perhaps, looks up at her. He peers at our neighbor for just a fraction of a second, and then his dark eyes flickers to Bella's. He looks away almost immediately, but not quickly enough for a blush to stain her cheeks and for me to catch him emit a small gasp. Jessica giggles at Bella's embarrassment, and explains.

"That's Emmett and Edward Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. The one who left is Alice Cullen. They all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife. Dr. Cullen is really young, like late twenties or early thirties, and adopted them all. Only the Hale twins—the blonds—are actually related; they've been with Mrs. Cullen since they were eight. She's their aunt or something like that. I guess she can't have kids or something. They just moved down here like two years ago from somewhere in Alaska. They're all _together_ though, Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. Edward, with the reddish brown hair, doesn't date though, so don't waste your time."

While my eyes have been swarming their table like a carrion fly, Bella glances back and forth between our table and theirs, trying to not act conspicuous. The Edward one speaks quietly to his siblings. He peeks back at my twin, meeting her stare, causing her to quickly turn away again. His gaze drifts to me, like a chore that just must be done since he's already made eye contact with my sister, and a spark of real emotion ignites: surprise, confusion.

Bella turns to me to see that I've gone bone-pale and my jaw is clenched so tight I'll have a headache for the rest of the day. Her eyebrows furrow. I whip my head towards her, eyes blazing.

"I think I left something in the car, Bells. Come help me look for it," I shoot up in my seat, swinging my bag over my shoulder. She stares up at me, trying to think of what I could've left in the car. "Bella, _now_."

Her eyes widen at me – I've never used that tone with her. With some of pompous jerks back in Phoenix and with Renee that summer she didn't pay the electric bill, but _never_ with her. She silently stands as well, placing her bag carefully on her shoulder, dazed. I seize her hand and walk briskly towards the exit, my quick pace and firm hold not leaving room for her to stumble.

I, however, turn out to be the careless walker in this case.

"Oops, sorry," a melodic voice apologizes from the granite-hard girl that I slammed into, making Bella smack into my back. The small pixie girl who left a few minutes ago, whose name we now know to be Alice Cullen, thanks to Jessica. She's even more marvelous up close, her voice like chimes and flower petals...if that makes any sense at all.

I glare at her. Alice smiles back at me pleasantly, despite me looking at her like I'm evaluating a threat. I stare into her eyes, thinking about how I can get Bella around her safely. Her eyes...oh thank god.

My grimace melts into a shy grin. "No, I'm sorry, I was the one just rushing, not looking where I was going." I pause for a moment, trying to decide whether to make a pointed comment, then drag my twin around her and out the doors in silence.

When we get to the Chevy, I pretend that whatever I wanted to search for isn't there and finally come up with KitKat as an excuse. Bella rolls her eyes at me, but I don't miss the skeptical and worried glances either – she's never seen me react to anyone like that. Horror and hatred are new and scary looks on me, clearly.

By the time we reenter the lunchroom, the Cullen-Hale family has already departed. We sit back down with Jessica's group and engage in conversation, though Jessica and Lauren shoot me wary looks. Eventually it's time to go, and I bound off to French while kind Angela walks with Bella to their Biology class.

French is insanely dull. Just like with English, this class is eons behind my same course in Phoenix. Fortunately, they only requite two years of Foreign Language here, so as long as I don't get lazy, I'll pass this semester and not have to take more next year. As Madame Wendell twitters about conjugations, I let my mind wander. I wonder if Bella's having a good class. I hate not knowing what's she doing, especially with those Cullens/Hales in the school. Neither of us have had any classes with them so far, but who knows what's going on right now. Learning about their eyes help, but anxiety still zips through my veins.

A million years later, the bell rings, interrupting my worrying. I zip from the classroom and into the misty outdoors, seeing a baby-faced boy sporting gelled blond spikes with Bella heading towards the gymnasium. Mike. He leans a bit into her as they walk. _Smooth, buddy_.

As I get closer, my twin-sense alarm bells start blaring. Bella is upset. Bella is angry. Bella wants to cry. My eyes harden and I envision the numerous ways to murder the culprit. It isn't Mike; in fact, she seems to genuinely care what he's chattering about. I try to put on a happy face as I barrel near, not wanting to make her more distressed.

"Bella! Dammit girl, stop a moment for your favorite sister!" I shout as I, again, plow through students and tumble into my twin. This time the force of the impact sends us both to the moist sidewalk. "Sorry, not sorry!" I grin down at her.

"Yeah yeah, just get off of me, you bulldozer," she mock-grumbles, shoving me to the side. Mike helps her up, and then they both help me up. She tugs on a tendril of my hair. "You could've given me a concussion!"

I stick my tongue out at her. "That's not as bad as you giving yourself one, Klutzilla!"

Just as she's about to retaliate, we realize that Mike is snickering at us. We face him arms crossed. He covers his laughter with his palm. "Man, I wish I had a sibling. You two are priceless!" He wheezes out. I curve my elbow into Bella's and wink.

"This one's mine, have your parents make your own." My twin laughs into her hand and we start off toward the gym again. Mike catches up swiftly after he calms down.

As we enter the gym building, he turns to Bella again, "So, did you stab Edward Cullen with a pencil or what? I've never seen him act like that."

I nearly stop short. Was it Cullen that made her so distraught? I will burn down his house.

Bella cringes, and contemplates the question, deciding to play dumb for some reason. "Was that the boy I sat next to in Biology?" She asks artlessly. My eyes widen a bit but then narrow. Cullen sat next to her in her science class? If he even _thinks_ about her…

"Yes," he says. "He looked like he was in pain or something." I grip her arm tighter and avoid her questioning gaze.

"I don't know," she responds. "I never spoke to him."

"He's a weird guy." Mike lingers by us instead of heading to the boys' locker room. "If I were lucky enough to sit by you, I would've talked to you."

I raise my eyebrows at the cheesiness of that. Bella, however, smiles at him before guiding me through the doors of the girls' locker room. He's friendly and clearly admiring, but it isn't enough to ease whatever irritation she has.

I quickly put on an innocent face. "Somebody's got a crush on you!" I sing, teasing. She elbows me in the ribs and smirks, proud of the "Oomph!" she gets out of me. "Ouch, Bells! Be nice to your only twin. It's not my fault that it's so obvious that Mike Newton _looooves_ you!" I dash out of the way, squealing and giggling, before she can attack me.

I only have to keep this easy-going act up until I can…what? Yell at Cullen for being a douche? Should I say something outright to any them, or try to pretend they don't exist? They seem to be pretending everyone else doesn't exist, so perhaps that's indeed the best course of action. I peer over at the subject of concern, my dearest sister, and put back up my facade. We smile at each other, and I don't think she can tell anything is up.

The Gym teacher, Coach Clapp, finds us a couple of uniforms but doesn't make us dress down for today's class. At home, only two years of P.E. are required. Here, P.E. is mandatory all four years. Forks is literally our personal hell on Earth.

We watch four volleyball games running simultaneously. Remembering how many injuries Bella sustained _and_ inflicted playing volleyball, she feels faintly nauseated. I rub her back, failing at coming up with something to talk about that has no chance of bringing up the Cullen's/Hale's. I say nothing.

The final bell rings at last. We shuffle to the office to return our paperwork. The rain has drifted away, but the wind is strong and cold. We snuggle close together, trying to get more body heat flowing without stabbing ourselves with each other's limbs.

When we step into the warm office, we almost turn around and bail immediately.

Edward Cullen stands at the desk in front of us, all tousled bronze hair and rigid stance. He doesn't appear to notice the sound of our entrance. We press against the back wall, wait for the receptionist free up.

He argues with her in a low, attractive voice. I quickly pick up the gist of the argument. He's trying to trade from sixth-hour Biology to another time. Any other time.

My twin-sense piques: Bella just couldn't believe that this was about her. It had to be something else, another aggravation entirely. It was impossible that this stranger could take such a sudden, intense dislike to her...kind of like how I had immediately hated the Cullen/Hale family. Her pupils tick to me ever so slightly, dilating at the realization that it was then quite possible.

The door opens again, and the frigid wind suddenly gusts through the room, rustling the papers on the desk, swirling around Bella and me. The girl who comes in merely steps up to the desk, places a note in the wire basket, and walks out again. But Edward Cullen's back stiffens, and he turns slowly to glare at Bella – even that face absurdly handsome, of course – with a piercing, hate-filled eyes. For an instant, she feels a thrill of genuine fear, raising the hair on her arms. I quiver, but not from fear. I glare, with a thousand suns worth of loathing, at Edward. They both seem to notice this at once; his jaw clenches a little.

All of this happens in just a second, but it still chills her more than the freezing wind. Edward looks back to the receptionist.

"Never mind, then," he says hastily, in a voice like velvet. "I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help." And he turns on his heel without another look at us and disappears out the door.

Hurriedly, knowing he could be gone in an instant, I murmur, "Bella, I think I forgot something in my locker. I'll be right back," then I sprint outside.

Edward Cullen is already stepping into that stupid, shiny Volvo and speeding away.

After expelling an irritated breath, I go back inside with a fake, embarrassed smile and say that whatever I was supposed to be getting is actually in my bag. Bella eyes me funny from the front of the desk; she's already handed in our slips. She re-links arms with me halfheartedly.

"How did your first day go, dearies?" the receptionist asks. Her warm voice reminds me of Renee, when we were children and she was trying to be a real grown-up.

"Fine," we lie together, her voice weak and mine hard. The woman doesn't look very convinced.

When we get to the car, it's almost the last one in the lot. It seems like a little haven, already the closest thing to home we have in the damp green hole. I hand the keys to Bella for her to drive us home, but we just sit inside for a while, staring out the windshield blankly. But soon we're cold enough to need the heater, and she turns the engine over. We both fight back tears the whole way back to Charlie's house. Our house.

* * *

 **A/N:** Please review with any constructive criticism!

Also, below are the relevant school schedules:

 _Bella_ :

1st period – English III

2nd – Government

3rd – Intro Psychology

4th – Trigonometry

5th – Spanish II

Lunch

6th – Biology II

7th – Gym

.

 _Emma_ :

1st: English III

2nd – Government

3rd – Art

4th – Trig

5th – Physics

Lunch

6th – French II

7th – Gym

.

 _Edward_ :

1st – Calculus

2nd – American History

3rd – Government

4th – English III

5th – Gym

Lunch

6th – Biology II

7th – Spanish III


	2. Easy to Read

**A/N:** Rereading Twilight to rewrite this fic is _wild_ , y'all. And rereading my old version of this truly shows how far my own writing has come in the past decade, which is really cool. And honestly, I've started to get into the habit of writing every single day now, thanks to restarting this story - something I never though possible for me. I think I'm finding my groove again, even if it's not yet on work I can publish for my career haha.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and please let me know what you think about Emma as a narrator, because I'm a little concerned about the narrative distance so far. More personal input from her, opinion-wise and/or sensory-wise? Penny for your thoughts.

...x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x...

* * *

 **Chapter Two – Easy to Read**

MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2005

The good news is that nothing exciting happens for the rest of the week. The bad news is that nothing happens _at all_ the rest of the week. Mike and Eric's crushes on Bella: cute and well-deserved, but boring. The rain: repetitive, boring. Emailing Renee to catch her up and remind her about things she's forgetting from states away: boring. Classes and the already memorized students in them: boring. We drive around town to see if there's anything we'd enjoy—we try the library for Bella, but their selection is abysmal, so we agree to head up to Seattle to check out theirs, plus stock up on paint supplies for me. Mike invites us to La Push Ocean Park in two weeks with a group of friends (his friends? Bella's friends? Our friends?), which we agree politely to go to, but we're not thrilled about cold beaches. Really, the biggest thing is that Edward Cullen was absent the whole week.

Though that's not so uninteresting. In fact, it's quite suspicious. Bella secretly thinks that it has to do with her, though she tries not to believe it. The horrible part is that I think she's right. According to Charlie—who went on a shocking and impressive rant standing up for "brilliant" Dr. Cullen's "polite and well-behaved" brood during the steak dinner Bella prepared us Tuesday night—the isolated family often disappears for camping trips, but usually all together. The other four adoptees are present in the lunchroom all week, only Edward missing. His penetrating stare into my sister haunts me just thinking about him.

Bella doesn't know how to read the signs, but I see very clearly that Edward needs to stay extremely far away from her. No matter how Charlie praises the good doctor or how harmless Alice looked up close, how Edward reacted to Bella is disturbing. Dark eyes like those don't happen on someone stable and safe, they belong to a predator.

So it is a sour surprise to see that Edward has returned today. The flurries we can deal with, but him? Bella is going haywire inside during lunch. I scoot closer to her on the bench, touching from hips to knees, for her to not outwardly look like she might have a panic attack. I want to ask if she'll skip Bio today so that she doesn't have to see him, but she'll only feel self-conscious about it since she hasn't actually elaborated about what happened last week. She knows that I know, because of our twin-sense, but it would make her uncomfortable to actually talk about it.

Especially after they stare at each other across the cafeteria, leaving her for fifth period is almost physical in its torture. Trying to focus in French is impossible; I'm too keyed-up on trying to feel what's going on with my twin. I've never tried to sense her from so far away before. My brain starts to ache from the strain. Fluctuating static transmissions of her thoughts and feelings reach me, but I can't piece anything together.

"Miss Swan, do you need to go to the nurse? You don't look quite right," Madame Wendell interrupts my concentration. I nod, dumping my textbook and assignment into my bag and trudging out the door.

Like hell I'm going to the nurse. I'm snooping on Bella like any proper big sister would. (In my head, the ghost of arguments past whispers in Bella's voice: "We're twins!" To which I reply: "Yeah, but I called dibs on crowning first, so I'm older by a whole minute and a half, baby sis!").

The window from Mr. Banner's lab faces a dense space of trees, so hopefully if I hide between the trunks, I'll be able to see Bella. Still vulnerable to those with impressive eyesight and patrolling staff, but I can always just tell the latter that I got lost looking for the nurse. Sometimes it pays to be the new kid.

Situating myself behind a fat cedar, I squint into the science class. There's no glare on the glass since the sun doesn't exist here, but the lingering snow slush on the ground still reflects just enough that I can barely make out the middle row of lab stations. My eyes flick over the visible students, starting from the back where Bella is more likely to sit. I'm surprised to find her near the front of the room, seated at the same table with Cullen. Talking. A lot.

They're right next to the window, with Bella closer. I can only see a quarter of her face, everything else is long brown hair. Cullen, however, I have a full view of. I try to control my presence in the twin-sense so at least _she_ doesn't know I'm here, while probing out for hers. I've never told her that I can reign our connection, it'd only make her feel vulnerable. And she doesn't exactly have the healthiest self-esteem to begin with, so I try not to make her feel any more out-of-sync than she already does.

Like a flutter against my heart, her emotions reach me. Confusion, annoyance, curiosity. She's not upset this time, and she's definitely not afraid. What were they talking about?

Moist bark clings to my topknot as I slide fully behind the trunk, out of sight. Am I being crazy? Ditching class to spy on my sister from the woods? Images of the Cullen/Halle clan sitting statue-still in the cafeteria, pale as moonlight with night-black eyes, tossing trayfuls of eaten food into garbage cans, Edward's nostrils flaring in the front office, nag my brain. No, I'm not being crazy. Given the circumstances.

I peek back into the Biology room to see that all the students are facing forward as Mr. Banner shows something on the projector. Everything seems fine right now. Checking my swatch—Renee's from the eighties, rocking all its abrasive electric-teal glory—I'm disappointed to see there's still twenty minutes of class left. There's no way I'm going to hang out here in the cold for the rest of the time, but going back to French sounds lame. I guess I could actually go to the nurse, take a nap.

What I need is to get out of my head. Maybe give Bella a break from my anxiety, and my anxiety a break from her. That girl is an outright danger magnet, and it keeps me on edge all the time. I don't really mind, because I love her and want to protect her, but shit just got real in Forks and I need space to think it through. Yeah, relaxation and planning. Guess I'm skipping seventh period today.

Slinking over to the parking lot, I hide the keys in the driver-side visor then rip a page out of my Government notebook. "Bell— Walked home. Am fine. Keys in the spot. XO, Em." I fold up the note and lay it in the inside of the windshield. She'll probably be worried when I don't show up for Gym, but there's a girl in my French class who also has P.E. last so she can tell her about the nurse probably. This is would so much easier if we had cell phones, but back in Phoenix we could only afford to share one with Renee. We let her keep it so she can call us from wherever she's at with Phil; I don't think Charlie has fully moved into the twenty-first century yet, but once he realizes, I'm sure he'll go full Police Chief Safety Dad on us about it. Maybe that's what Bella and I can buy with whatever money we were gonna spend on a car. I mentally add it to our Seattle shopping list.

The rain isn't too bad, more like a misting at this point, so I don't bother putting up my coat hood as I start the two-mile route home. It's mostly just down the highway, past the majority of Forks businesses, then a couple residential side roads. Hopefully no one inside any of the businesses will harass or report me for being truant, or, heaven forbid, a cop car passes and tells Charlie. Or is Charlie.

Not many people seem to be out this early in the afternoon, fortunately. There are a couple Subaru's with Colorado plates at Newton's Olympic Outfitters that Mike's parents own, and several end-of-lunch-rush patrons at the Café Paix, Sully's Burgers, and the other restaurants. The motels and gas stations are almost empty, as is the Thriftway grocery. I stick close to the businesses while on the main road, just in case I see a cruiser and need to duck in one.

The walk takes about thirty minutes, and between the exercise endorphins and the cold, I'm jazzed up when I finally unlock the front door. Sprinting upstairs, I hurl off my damp clothes and pull on sweatpants, a slouchy tee, and thick fuzzy owl-patterned socks. Warmth creeps back into my toes as I dig into our desk drawers for my sketch book. Still out of paint until we drive over to Seattle, drawing will have to suffice for me today.

After booting up the laptop, I pop a CD into the disc drive and blast the volume. Usually I just weaken my hearing with blaring headphones, but with no one home, I can make as much noise as I please. The Killers came out with this banger, "Mr. Brightside," last year and officially became my favorite song ever. Now it's what I paint best to; I just zone out to the music and focus all my energy on my art—no thoughts, no emotions, no distractions, just creation.

I come down from my reverie only fifteen minutes later, at the end of "Somebody Told Me." The next track falls on deaf ears. Goosebumps spread over my body as I stare down at the pressure-thick lines of my sketches. When my nose was an inch from the paper to get everything right, I didn't notice the big picture. I've drawn the Cullen/Hale family at their lunch table, all with golden eyes staring blankly except for Edward. His eyes are black, glaring off the page, a snarl curling his lip. A sixth member is sitting with them, the profile of a girl with a mess of black tresses and a fringed suede jacket. Her one visible crimson eye stares right at me.

Quick as lightning I tear the drawing out of my sketchbook and crumple it into a sharp ball.

* * *

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2005

"Fuck, now I'm gonna have to put chains on the tires," I complain after waking up to a snow and ice-filled morning. Bella joins me at the window and winces, envisioning all the ways she could die on the slick ground.

"You know if Charlie's left yet?" She asks before turning away from me to get dressed. She fingers the caramel jeans, maroon sweater, and black snow boots, assessing them with unusual apprehension. Why is she caring about what she wears today?

Oh. Because Cullen is back. I scowl then go to get first dibs on the bathroom, grumbling a quick "I dunno," my sister's way. After shutting the door to the bathroom, I glare into the mirror and imagine Edward rotting to ash. The thought coaxes a smile and I feel cooled enough to dawn my own black jeans and purple flannel. I toss my hair into a sloppy ponytail and apply my regular face before trading locations with my twin, collecting my school bag from our room and heading downstairs.

As it turns out, Charlie is already gone, so Bell and I eat only cereal for breakfast. We put on our matching black rain coats and find out that the super-dude we sometimes call Dad put snow chains on the Chevy's tires for us. Brownie points: Charlie.

Driving just under the speed limit, we make it to school with ten minutes to spare. As soon as she's at my side, both Bella and I immediately scan the parking lot for a certain Cullen. His Volvo sits half way across the lot from us, with its family just hanging out around it. Including Edward, who stares right at us.

I quickly look away, grimacing, but Bella still ogles him, completely entranced. To snap her back to reality, I jerk her sleeve in my direction. But instead of moving closer, Bella slips, landing on her butt and sliding down to the bumper.

And then the scariest moment of my whole life happens. Tyler Crowley's van spins through the lot, tires screeching on the ice, heading right for Bella's destination.

"BELLA!" I scream, barely half a step forward before a powerful, incredibly swift mass barrels in between my twin and the van, creating a huge dent where its hand makes contact with the imposing metal.

"Edward," Bella and I whisper simultaneously. I'm startled, however, by Bella's voice and my attention diverts to her. My knees practically give out as I collapse beside her, holding her to me, eyes wide and watering. I'm completely oblivious to the flurry of chaos around us, hyperfocusing on the two people in front of me.

"Are you hurt? Are you okay?" My hands run over her back, hair, arms, and face.

"Ow," Bella winces when my fingers brush a spot above her left ear.

"It looked like you hit your head pretty bad," Edward lightly touches said head; the urge to smack him away trumps hearing his crisp, musical voice for the first time. Bella seems to re-notice him, frowning.

"You were over there," she says. "You were over by your car."

Edward's face suddenly turns very serious, and he denies it, saying that he was standing right next to her. Bella is disbelieving. I stare intensely at Edward, mentally begging him to be more convincing.

"Bella, what are you talking about? He'd been, like, right on the other side of the bumper you fell next to," I insist, trying to set my expression to concern, "I think you might have another concussion."

Edward looks slightly disconcerted by the 'another' part of that sentence, but quickly regains composure when we hear an ambulance. Bella seems slightly confused by the sound. Wait, does she actually have a concussion?

"Come on, Bells, first time in Forks Hospital," I haul her up, supporting nearly all of her weight. Edward also rises to help, taking most of it off my hands.

"You're gonna add it to the scrapbook, aren't you?" Bella squints her eyes at me as she starts to get loaded on the stretcher.

"Of course I am, honey, you know that I can't control my urge to document your every hospital trip."

"Bitch."

"Ho."

"Tramp."

"Cutie-pie."

"I hate you."

"I love you too, and you don't have a concussion."

"No shit, Sherlock."

"How can _you_ be so sure?" An EMT interrupts, looking exasperated with us as they try to check my sister's vitals.

I glance at him, finding it hard to look anywhere but Bella. "That little banter is how I check. The script is always the same, so if she can remember all of it then she doesn't have a concussion."

"Bella!" Charlie's panicked voice appears from the throng. Apparently someone called Chief Swan in all the activity. Bella tries to dissuade his worry, assure him that she's fine and sigh heavily as he interrogates the EMTs, while I hang back. Since she's the Danger Twin and I'm the Safe Twin, I've gotten used to being invisible in times like these. Better to just stay out of the way and let them keep believing everything's fine with me.

I climb into the back of the ambulance and Edward into the front seat, while Charlie gives us a police escort to the hospital. Strolling inside like he hasn't a care in the world, Edward disappears ahead of the rushing staff pulling my sister into the emergency room. The long corridor of pastel-patterned curtains reeks of antiseptic. A nurse takes Bella's blood pressure and temperature, assessing that there's nothing urgently wrong with her, then hurries to heave a bloodstained Tyler onto the bed next door.

While she's distracted by Tyler's desperate apologizes, I take the moment to walk into the hall, searching for Edward. I can't decide if it's to hug him or give him a piece of my mind. Instead of the bronze-haired Cullen, I spot a blond man with pale skin, tired eyes, and beyond movie-star handsomeness, conversing with some nurses down the hall. This must be the esteemed Dr. Cullen. I edge closer to eavesdrop. He's instructing x-rays for Bella, to be safe, based on her previous hospital records that Charlie released to them. As he turns away, we catch eyes. Gold, just like the rest of the Cullen/Hale's. This relieves much of my apprehension about his profession, and I approach him.

"You must be Miss Emma Swan. Your twin is down the hall behind you in the ER if you're trying to find her, or your father is in the waiting room with everyone?" His rich, floaty voice caresses my eardrums. If every doctor had such a soothing sound, people would line up around the block to get their check-ups.

"Actually, I'm looking for Edward. I assume you know where he is." No need to make that a question.

Dr. Cullen doesn't seem confused by my quest or potential rudeness, just uncomfortable. He ticks his head a fraction, like he's raising his ear to listen out. His mouth offers a smile that isn't matched with his wrinkleless eyes. "He should be headed back this way shortly. I'm about to have Bella x-rayed, but you can wait at her bedside if you'd like."

No, I would not like. "I guess. If I don't speak to him first, please let him know that it's important." I offer a nod instead of a goodbye and head back to the ER. Bella has been carted away by the time I get there, but Tyler is getting his wounds assessed. He peeks through the nurses, doubletaking at me.

"Oh man, Emma, I got confused between you and your sister for a second there. I can see why you went blonde—I guess you aren't called 'twins' for nothing. Are you okay? I didn't almost hit you too, did I?" He looks pained, and not just from the medical prodding. I try not to feel called out about my hair.

"I'm all good, Tyler; I was in the clear. Are you going to be okay? Your car?"

A hiss escapes as the nurse parts his hair around an oozing gash. "My car is totaled. I think I should be okay, but I guess I'll let the professionals tell me, ha." The nurse just gives him a Stop Talking look and he manages a shrug at me.

Suddenly a chill creeps up my spine and I spin around, muscles tense. A just-entered Edward's eyebrows rise in surprise. He's probably quite used to sneaking up on people. I fold my arms over my chest and go to him instead of closer to Tyler's bleeding form, leading him back out into the hall.

Once we're out of eye and earshot of others, I struggle to meet his metallic gaze. "You have something important to talk to be about, Emma?" He prompts. Hearing my name flow from his lips for the first time is both wonderous and horrid. I have to suppress my grimace, and finally maintain eye contact.

"Thank you, Edward. Thank you so much for saving Bella's life. It was a totally risky thing for you to do, but I'm eternally grateful for it."

Edward's expression grows stony. "I was just _nearby_ enough to pull her out of the way. I'm sure the _adrenaline_ would have saved me from also getting _crushed_."

I don't bother to scoff at his emphasis, brows furrowing. This is probably about to be too revealing, but self-preservation be damned. "Bella's on your case, Edward. I am totally in debt to you forever for saving my sister, but you have to be more careful. She's smart as a whip and stubborn as hell. If you keep lacking all sense of subtlety, we're all gonna have a big problem."

"I couldn't agree more."

Edward and I whip our heads around in shock and, admittedly, fright as we see the fiery coal black eyes of Demon Barbie shooting daggers at us. Rosalie Hale marches toward us down the hall from somewhere deeper in the hospital, glaring mostly at Edward. The air turns minutely cooler as they triangle me against the wall. Edward's eyes flicker across her face, as if trying to read something in her expression. Her chin dips in a tiny nod as she stares back at him, and suddenly they're both looking intensely at me; Rosalie still pissed, but Edward now befuddled.

"You know?"

There's no question to what he means. Somehow, they've discovered that I know their secret, what they and their 'family' are. Vampires. But how did they find out? I grit my teeth. "I really don't feel I'm at liberty to discuss this, much less here. I understand that this seems like a big threat to your way of life here, but there really isn't anything that can be done about it right now."

Rosalie huffs at this, but seems to reluctantly acknowledge the truth of my words. "We'll get in touch soon, Swan. And you watch that sibling of yours," she side-eyes Edward, "and I'll do the same." With that, she turns heel and disappears the way she came.

Alone with Edward, again. He still just watches me, eyes narrowed. Something between concern and puzzlement fixes a constipated look on face. God, can this day get any worse? I card my hands over my scalp and sigh. "I can't express how grateful I am to you for saving my sister, Edward….but unless it's an emergency again, for everyone's safety, stay away from Bella."

And with that, I turn around and walk straight into a confused and hurt Isabella Marie Swan.

How the fuck have I already messed up everything in just two weeks?

* * *

...x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x...

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading. Drop a review for any constructive criticism!


	3. From All Sides

**A/N:** Here's the next chap. For anyone who set their Follow alerts early, I consolidated Chapter 2 and the old 3, so that's why you're getting two notifications for this update. Sorry for any confusion!

Thank you to everyone who's reviewed! Your input about Emma's POV is extremely helpful. For those of you who've made comments or requests regarding future romance for Emma - I don't intend on there being one. If anyone would like to make case for a ship, I'm very willing to hear it out, but at this point please don't move forward in this story with expectations for my OC to get paired with anyone (of any species)!

...x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x. ..x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x...

* * *

 **Chapter Three – From All Sides**

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2005

Yesterday afternoon was hell. After Bella caught my last words to Edward, she refused to acknowledge me for the rest of the day. They spoke, apparently; she interrogating him about his heroic role in the accident, and he rebuffing her. I listened for a bit from the hallway, then joined Charlie and the rest of Forks High in the waiting room. Bella emerged and urged us out, before her friends could pummel her with worry. We drove home in silence, then she had to call Renee and talk her down from the ledge. She went to bed early, facing away from my side of the bedroom.

Charlie and I microwaved frozen TV-dinners, and he finally asked if I was okay, if I thought Bella was really okay, what really happened earlier. I told him she was mad at me, and replaced the real reason why with the guilt truly hanging over me: it was my fault Bella was in danger in the parking lot, I pulled her and that's why she slipped into the path of Tyler's van. Hot tears rolled down my face and my body shook as I tried to stifle sobs.

Completely useless when faced with a crying girl, Charlie awkwardly hugged me and made shushing noises. He said it wasn't my fault—the van would've been a danger no matter what—but that I need to be more careful, on ice and with balance-challenged Bella and in general. His reassurance did help some, but he couldn't possibly know how to quell the fear freezing in my chest. I put Bella in more danger than I could say. Now that the local bloodsuckers know the Swan twins pose a threat to their secrecy, it's only a matter of time before they pose a threat to our lives.

I wrapped my arms around myself and, no matter how many clothing layers and blankets I cocooned in, I couldn't seem to get warm. It's like the embrace of a vampire ready to bite. Finally I just climbed into bed, curled fetal, and tried not to think about my impending conversation with the Cullen/Hale coven. Eventually exhaustion overtook my anxiety and I was able to fall into a fitful slumber, wrought with nightmares of scarlet eyes and glittering skin.

Today isn't much better, but being surrounded by people makes me feel a tad safer. Everyone at school hounds Bella about the accident, Tyler in particular following her everywhere like a puppy, obsessed with making amends with her somehow. He even joins our now crowded lunch table. He, Mike, Eric all hover around her with dewy heart eyes, while Jessica basks in associational popularity. Lauren, while irked by all the spotlight on Bella, doesn't mind the residual attention either. Angela and I end up at the opposite end of the bench from my sister—me by exile, and her by discomfort. We talk easily, about casual things like homework and our interests in the arts (she's a photographer, I learn), and Angela's twin little brothers, Joshua and Isaac (is there just something in northwest water that breeds twins?).

Like an icy drill burning in the back of my head, I can feel stares from the table of undead. I refuse to turn towards them. I'm having my first genuinely good conversation with someone in Forks, I will not ruin it with thoughts of supernatural stalkers. When the bell rings and everyone packs up for class, though, I can't take it anymore. Bella and Edward have next period together. Will he ignore her like I asked? If so, whom will she blame more, him or me? My eyes find him like a magnet.

Silky hair perfectly coiffed, lounging in his plastic chair, he stares steadfast at the table in front of him. I'm know he sees I'm looking at him with those keen eyes of his kind, so he must be giving me the cold shoulder. The irony is not lost on me.

Sliding my gaze down the line, Rosalie is also staring at Edward. Hard. She really wasn't kidding about keeping an eye on him. I glance at my own charge, who's already retreating from the room with no concern for my whereabouts. A vague memory of the last time we weren't on good terms lingers on the edge of my focus. It was years ago, when our differences started to develop instead of matching in all ways. Bella had thought I was growing reckless, skipping class and trying substances and lightening my hair. I guess we both have our moments of justified overreaction.

Looking back over at the coven, I see that it's Alice and Emmett that won't stop staring at me. Jasper just looks mildly constipated, as I've come to find is his usual, probably from trying to control himself. He's clearly the most uncomfortable around all these humans. The dark-haired Cullen's, however, seem to feel unabashed as we make eye contact. Really, they look downright curious. Perhaps Emmett more concerned and curious, but the pixie…I look away and start walking to class, unnerved by the twinkle in her eyes.

I actually try in French today, just to give my mind something to do. Coach Clapp doesn't make Bella participate in P.E. because of yesterday, but I have to play kickball with the rest of the class. She looks put out from Biology, so I guess Edward really listened to me. I feel more relieved about that than I do sorry for my sister.

After dressing down at the end, Bella is actually waiting for me. Her face is screwed up with guilt and she's jangling the car keys in twitchy hands.

Before I can say anything, words burst from her mouth like if she doesn't do it immediately then she won't at all. "I need to do one spiteful thing, then I'm ready to be friends again. I don't understand what's going on with you, but I miss you. Please don't be mad?" Her fingers tap the car keys subconsciously. Her intentions click in my brain.

"You're leaving me here."

"You walked home on Monday, so I know you'll be fine. I just need some kind of tangible retribution, but after that, I'm over it. We need each other, Em." She lowers her voice, "These people are driving me crazy." I can't hide an agreeing smirk, which encourages her. "See? Peas in a pod, surrounded by…kale. Or rutabaga. Vegetable metaphors, I don't know. Please just give me this, then we'll forget all about it, okay?" We're probably the most courteous fighting siblings in the entire world.

A sigh brushes through my lips. She really hadn't needed to argue her case, I'd give her anything she wanted. I owe her. "Okay. Tell Charlie I'm staying late for Art Club or something. I'll see you at home, Bell." We hug, then she strides out the door to the Chevy.

Much slower, after waiting a while in the dry inside for Bella to drive off and hopefully most others too, I tread the damp sidewalks towards the front of the school. The snow and ice from yesterday had melted away, but everything was still very wet. Drizzle falls the sky, but I like the poetry of leaving my hood down and drenching my hair. Something like atonement I suppose.

When I finally reach the parking lot, there are only a handful of cars left. One, to my dismay, is the silver Volvo. Four out of five of them sit in the running car, but standing next to the open passenger side door is an impatient looking Rosalie. We lock eyes. Not like I could escape if I tried. My gaze darts around the parking lot to see if anyone will witness me going with them—there is not, just my luck—before trudging over.

Rosalie steps aside to let me into the front seat, closing the door behind me, then climbs in behind me onto Emmett's lap. I stare out the front windshield instead of looking at any of them. Out of the corner of my eye, though, I see that Alice mirrors Rosalie, sitting on statue-still Jasper. Edward throws the car into reverse and zooms out onto the highway. I hurriedly tug on my seatbelt.

I say nothing as he drives us out of the main town and over the bridge at Calawah River. Out of nowhere he turns onto an unpaved road hidden by ferns. The forest encroaches on both sides, leaving the lane ahead only discernible for a few meters as it twists, serpentlike, around the ancient trees. Well, this is it. This is definitely where they're taking me to die. I wonder how loud my heartbeat races in their ears.

But then, after a few miles, the forest thins and we pull into a small meadow. A lawn? Six primordial cedars stagger protective shadows over a pale mansion. My mouth drops open at the old, graceful house. A deep porch wraps around the first story, with two more angled above. Is this where they _live_?!

"Come on in, Emma. We have a lot to talk about." Alice lays a gentle hand on my shoulder, offering a comforting smile. I tense under her touch, but nod and follow the family out into the chilly sprinkle. Jasper speeds off into the forest, gone in a blink. I guess they're really not hiding from me anymore. The others walk at a human pace with me; Edward and Alice lead, and he holds the door open for us, while Rosalie and Emmett flank my six.

Their home is even more luxurious on the inside. The ground floor is open and bright, with few internal walls, with a wide central staircase to the left and a raised area with a grand piano in the center to the right as well as a fancy dining room and gourmet kitchen. I'm sure the latter is just for show. Past the stairs and minimal walls, I see that the entire southern wall is window, facing the woods.

From around one of the few corners, Dr. Cullen emerges with a beautiful vampire woman with soft billows of caramel hair. That must be his wife. They're holding hands, peering at me with concern. "Nice to see you again, Emma." Dr. Cullen greets. "Though, I must say I'm surprised it's under these circumstances." _You and me both, Doc_. I just nod back. "Allow me to introduce my mate, Esme."

"Hello, Emma. Please, come sit." Her voice is like listening to a Disney princess. She outstretches an arm towards the living room (ha), and sits on a white suede loveseat herself. Dr. Cullen perches on the arm next to her, and Alice bounds around me to a grey couch. She pats the cushion beside her, indicating for me to join. I don't think I have another choice, so I sink into the plushness. Edward, Rosalie, and Emmett remain standing. Like lightning, Jasper reappears, leaning against the section of wall opposite me, farthest from me. The dark circles under his eyes have receded a tad, the gold of his eyes brighter. He hunted.

Well, he didn't hunt me, or any other human, so that's good. But I still have to swallow down dread and nausea. I clear my throat. "So, um, I want to preface that Bella doesn't know anything. No one does, and I want just as much as you all to keep it that way."

Tension breaks in the room, everyone exchanging glances and probably words I can't catch. Rosalie and Jasper look absolutely pissed, Emmett and Edward aggressively concerned, and Dr. and Mrs. Cullen worried. Only Alice stays positive, still smiling at me. Honestly, her reaction is the scariest of all to me. Seriously, why does she look so unperturbed? She's freaking me out.

"Alice, you're freaking her out," Edward barks. I blink in surprise at him. Geez, I thought Bella was the open book between the two of us. It's like he read my…oh my _god_.

"You have special abilities. Of course you do." I rub the butts of my palms into my eye sockets. His interaction with Rosalie at the hospital yesterday makes so much sense now. How long has he been listening to my thoughts? Since I arrived in Forks, since meeting Bella, since the accident? "It would be marvelous if you stayed the fuck out of my head, please." I say without uncovering my vision. Alice giggles next to me, and I think the low chuckle comes from Emmett's direction.

"Okay," I drop my hands back down and face them with a hardened expression, "yes, I know you're vampires. I used to know one and lived to tell about it. I'm not going to expose you, and I especially don't want Bella involved." _Edward_. He grimaces at my pointed thoughts and stare. "I'll stay out of your way, and you can stay out of mine. So are we good here? Can I get home now?"

Rosalie growls, which earns her parental glowers from Dr. and Mrs. Cullen, and a pout from Alice. "Can you hang out just a little bit? To explain more about your history with vampires? We believe that you aren't a threat to us," Alice says, adding a hard tone and glance at her coven. "I know you'll need to get home in a timely manner, but after-school clubs meet for an hour, and we can drive you home, so your dad won't be worried."

I open my mouth to ask how she knew about my Art Club lie, but decide not to bother. Either they were just in earshot or it's from the special abilities, and it doesn't matter that I don't like it. It's just the way it is, the way they are. Headache blooms in my temples. Scarlet eyes flash from carefully compartmentalized memories, and I try to banish them quickly, hopefully before Edward sees.

"Who was that?"

No, of course nothing is private. I glare at him. "Could you not?"

His thick sculpted brows furrow. "No, I can't not. I hear everyone, all the time. Except for Bella. Sometimes you."

This draws surprise from the coven. "What does that mean, 'sometimes'? I know you mentioned Bella's immunity, but nothing about Emma." Esme asks him.

Edward stares at me, or maybe through me, as he answers. "The closer you physically are to Bella, the less I can hear you, and I believe whenever you're thinking about her. Other times I can hear you the same as everyone else, but at a lower frequency, almost like your thoughts are muffled. This has been the clearest I've ever heard you."

Fucking fantastic. Fangtastic, I guess. Edward chortles at my reluctant pun. "We don't have fangs and you know it."

Dr. Cullen and Esme turn to me with worried mouths at the mention of fangs. "You're not in any danger with us, Emma. We sustain ourselves on animal blood, not human blood."

"I know. Gold eyes for vegetarians, red for people-eaters." I accidentally glance at Jasper when I add, "Black for hungry."

Because they're vampires and don't miss a single thing ever, they of course catch my slip. Alice finally loses her pep, smoothing out the edge of her scallop-trim skirt. Dr. Cullen and Esme exchange a glance. "Would it help ease your trepidation about our family," Esme offers, surprising me with her dedication to this familial concept of their coven, "if we told you more about us? How we live and who we are?"

Again, Rosalie hisses. Before she can object to telling me more information, I do it for her. "No offense, Mrs. Cullen, but I don't want to know more about you. I'm not friends with your…children…and I'm not interested in learning about why you're supposedly different from other vamps. What I want, is to get on safe enough terms with each other so that none of us ever need to interact again. No need to tell me more about yourselves. You don't hurt people and you want secrecy. Good enough for me. I'm not going to blab, and the vampire I used to know was destroyed by her ex-coven, who live all the way in Mexico and never even knew about me, so it's all set on my end. Good enough for you?"

The Cullen/Hale's freeze, unblinking. After a beat, Jasper pushes off from the wall and takes a few slow steps towards me, but not closer than next to Emmett. "The woman you used to know was from a Mexican coven?"

You've got to be kidding me; if they knew her I'm gonna flip my lid. "Yes…I met her back in Arizona, after she'd already been nomadic for several years. She got too close to her coven's territory again though, so they ripped her up and set her on fire." I try to stamp down visions of torn limbs and the haunting sounds of diamond-hard bones crackling in flames.

Jasper's eyes stay intense. "Do you know what territory specifically?"

"I don't know; I think it changed a lot anyway because of the Southern Wars. Northwest Mexico for sure, and I guess Arizona more recently." His shoulders relax a little. "Why?"

It takes a moment for him to respond, jaw tight. "I am unfortunately well-acquainted with the Southern Wars." Suddenly I'm acutely aware of his accent. "Her name?"

"What's _your_ name, Captain Nosy?" I sneer.

"Major, actually."

This time I can't keep her honey-colored face and burgundy eyes from swimming to mind, sitting in her shitty Toyota outside 7-11 while Depeche Mode hums from the radio. It's when she told me about the Wars, how she thought territories were stupid but predators like to claim feeding grounds, how especially good one coven was at it and that she was lucky to escape back west after a scuffle with them decades ago. Maria, she said, and her compelling Major Whitlock.

"Nooooope nope nope nope nope nope!" I bounce into a stand, throwing my hands up and heading for the exit. I talk and walk at the same time. "Somebody better take me the fuck home, because I am outtie. Stay away from Bella, stay away from me, we'll all keep our mouths shut, you have a lovely home. Anyone who is not Edward or Jasper, please come unlock the car."

In a heartbeat the Volvo's lights flicker and I yank the passenger door open, sliding in and buckling up in one swift motion. Rosalie, to my surprise, appears next to me and turns the car over. We're out of there like a bolt. Her sugary magnolia scent catches my nostrils and I try to focus on enjoying that rather than dwelling in my utter terror of her pretend-twin.

As we near my neighborhood, Rosalie ruins the silence. "I'm only going to say this once, Swan, so listen carefully. You are in no position to command anything from my family, much less disrespect them like you did tonight. You owe us more of an explanation, especially after your little drama about Jasper. We won't talk to or acknowledge you in public, but we'll be watching. Expect Art Club to meet again same time next week." She brakes in front of my house and leans across me to toss the door open.

I don't leave just yet, trying to school my expression calm. Forget the Major, _she_ is definitely the scary one in this coven. "You and I want the same thing, Hale: to protect our families. But if you haven't noticed, yours is a lot easier to keep safe than mine." A million other things, all the lose-lose outcomes for me, run through my mind, but I leave it at that and slam the car door on my way out.

* * *

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2005

A week flies by way too fast. While Bella and I do return to normal and I'm again accepted by her groupies, I never stop feeling the icy stares of the Cullen/Hale's. Bella can tell that I'm uneasy, but doesn't ask me about it, just offers waves of love through our twin-connection. Ever since Edward admitted his mind-reading limitations, I try to stay physically close to her when possible and have our twin-sense open when apart. My theory is that whatever brain fortress Bella must have, our twin-sense is like lowering the drawbridge so that I can fall under its protection too.

However, that means Bella has more access to me as well. So I try to stay distracted by getting to know Angela more, reading ahead in my textbooks, researching universities for the future I'll hopefully live to see, and actually listening to her friends when they talk. She's troubled, though, when I tell her I'm staying late after school for Art Club again today.

"Wait, there's really an Art Club?"

"Yeah. Might as well actually give it a go, ya know? Charlie was so pleased that I'm trying to integrate or whatever. Plus they have some actual art supplies. We seriously need to do that Seattle run soon," I insist as we change back into our regular clothes after P.E. The weather has still just been rainy instead of snowy, but still pretty cold. We finish lacing our boots and head out into the conditions.

"Okay. Well, have a good time. I'll pick you up when you're done?"

I peek over at the stupid shiny Volvo. Just like last time, Rosalie waits next to the open passenger door. She shakes her head. "It's okay, I'll probably get a ride again. No need to spend more gas. See you at home, Bells. Drive safe, love you." I hug her, with extra squeeze, just in case the vamps decide to do me in after all. Surprised but not displeased, Bella hugs me back then heads off to the Chevy. I walk a few paces back, to the edge of the forestry, and wait behind a tree until she's gone.

Edward drives us to their house again, with Rosalie and Emmett in the back seat. The only words spoken during the ride are right after I get in, Edward explaining that Jasper and Alice will meet us there. Definitely because I freaked out about Jasper. Who I'm still pretty freaked out about, but less than previously. He's clearly a different vampire than he used to be, but do people ever really change? Obviously he still struggles with his thirst, to say the least. Maybe Esme was right. Would I feel better knowing about Jasper Hale, not just the violent history of Jasper Whitlock? Part of me feels like a hypocrite for not hearing him—any of them, all of them—out, because I gave _her_ a chance even after finding out what she was, and gained the best friend I've ever had outside my sister.

I expel any thoughts of her before Edward can glimpse her in my mind. Best to still keep my cards close to my chest, at least until I learn more about them first. The playing field will never be even, but may as well hold my own best I can.

Dr. Cullen, Esme, Jasper, and Alice are all perched in the living room when we arrive, paired up on loveseats. I get the joy of Emmett's company on the remaining soda, while Edward and Rosalie stand facing me with crossed arms. The absolute unit of Emmett Cullen sags his side of the cushions; there's something more easy-going about his vibe than the rest of his coven's, but those muscles scream business.

"Welcome back, Emma. I hope you've had an easy week." Esme smiles warmly, as if the last time I was here I hadn't been incredibly rude to her. She must've been a very tender person in her human life.

"Thank you. You as well." I force the utmost courtesy I can muster. I still didn't want anything to do with them, but if we must exist in this place together until graduation, may as well make it civil. _Civility, civility, civility, civility_ , I remind myself. The mantra turns growly when Edward smirks at it.

"We have some more detailed questions for you, if you don't mind answering them for us." Dr. Cullen gets right to the point, naturally polite as ever.

"She wants to hear more about us first. If she thinks we're safe enough, then she'll tell us what she knows," Edward butts in. _I can speak for myself, thank you_ , I think at him. He raises his palms in surrender.

Rosalie and Jasper frown—okay, Rosalie scowls—at the idea of revealing their pasts, so I amend Edward's interference: "I don't need to know everything. Your business is your business. I just need enough assurance that you won't endanger my family. The most likely thing to happen if I ever tried to expose you, is I'd get committed to a psych center. Townspeople here think you're weird, but they'll never believe you're supernatural creatures. If shit hits the fan from your end, though, I don't have the resources or invincibility that you do. My family is toast. So, yeah, just convince me that _you're_ safe, and _then_ I'll convince you why I am."

Everyone seems to find this reasonable, even Rosalie, who comes over to plop on Emmett's lap. "I have never tasted human blood. Safe enough for you?" She eyes me over her boyfriend's dark curly hair while she pets it.

I blink. How could a vampire never have drunk from a human? The newborns alone are supposed to be uncontrollable, completely driven by bloodlust and thirst. Begrudgingly, my respect for the ferocious blonde increases exponentially.

"I have, and it was great." Emmett chirps from beside me. I'm startled by both his words and from hearing his rumbling baritone for the first time. Rosalie lightly smacks him upside the head. "Grizzlies are almost as good." He winks at me.

Oh, I get it. He's the funny one. I try not to let that influence my opinion of him as a member the lethal undead. I'm a sucker for funny.

"I don't have tons of memories from my human days, but I was born in 1915 like Rosy here," he says more genuinely. Somehow I'm not surprised by how 'young' he is. "Tennessean. Mauled by a bear. Not much to tell you—this is my beautiful mate, this is my awesome family, I love sports, and hate losing. Guys, I missing anything?" The coven—perhaps I should really start saying _family_ —all smile at him and say that that sums him up nicely. Rosalie presses a kiss to his temple; I turn from their intimacy.

"When I'm not corralling the children," Esme teases, "I work in Seattle as an architect and designer. I didn't miss your comment about our home last week—thank you for the compliment. This is the one place we don't have to hide, so I wanted it to feel open and freeing." Dr. Cullen runs his hand along her shoulders. She tilts her chin up to lock eyes with him. "We've been married for close to a century now."

"Though I have been a vampire for over four," he picks up where Esme leaves off. I nearly choke on my own shock. "And I turned almost everyone here." This does not warm me up to the doctor. "My father was a pastor, who often led hunts for vampires, werewolves, and witches—" _THOSE THINGS ARE REAL TOO?!_ "—which I took over when he grew old. Unfortunately, that was what caused my demise. I was horrified and tried in vain to end my afterlife. However, by starving myself from the onset, that was how I learnt that vampires could sustain themselves on animal blood instead of human. So I perfected my resistance, and began to study medicine. No one under my care at the hospital is ever in danger of me, I can promise you."

I nod at this part. "I wondered how you were able to be a doctor around all that blood." I pause before adding, "Charlie has the highest opinion of you, as a doctor and a person. All of you, really." The flattery makes him practically glow.

"Your father is a very good man," Edward interjects. I raise my brow at him. _I_ know that, how does _he_ know that? "I only met him once before you two moved back, but even then it was clear in his head that he's a very caring person. He loves you both very much. And worries, especially about Bella."

 _Ain't that the flavor of the week_. "Yeah, he's pretty great. And Bella is…a case. Intelligent and compassionate to a fault, clumsy to death."

"I've been like this," I don't miss the disdain in his tone as he gestures to his perfect immortal body, "for almost ninety years, and I've never met anyone like her before." Neither do I miss the awe about my sister.

Before I can go there—almost like she knew what I was about to segue into—Alice pipes up. "Almost ninety years for me too. Though I don't know anything about my human life. I just woke up like this one day, and started searching for Jasper." She makes goo-goo eyes at her mate, before perking back to me. "Oh, right! I can see the future."

She can what now? I don't know whether to be impressed or upset. My left eye twitches. A telepath and a psychic in one family of vampires. Fucking hell.

"And an empath," Edward tacks on. I can't whip to Jasper fast enough.

 _So calling him "compelling" wasn't just intrigue_. The apparent emotion-reader straightens his spine under my stare. He meets my gaze steadily when suddenly I feel very calm. Comfortable, safe. The pulse in my left eye socket dulls, and my back muscles release their tension. This is honestly the most relaxed I've felt in years. Part of me wants to accept it and take a cozy little nap right then and there, but my pupils dial in on golden irises once again and I remember the suspicion and vigilance I'm supposed to be armed with in this scenario. The warm fuzzy feelings ease off, and suddenly I feel extremely vulnerable.

"Please don't do that again," I whisper, fighting the urge to wrap my arms around myself.

Probably literally sensing my discomfort, Jasper changes the subject away from his power. "How much do you know about me?"

"You were Maria's righthand in the Southern Wars in the 1800's, in charge of her newborns. Her army was the best back in the day, especially when she had you."

"Correct. Maria is the one who changed me, after selecting me from Confederacy." I try not to focus on him fighting for the wrong side of the Civil War. "We grew wary of each other over time, and I left for a more peaceful life. Alice found me, and eventually we found the Cullen's. You're right that I struggle the most with our lifestyle," he admits, "but I have no desire to take more lives, Emma." His head cocks to the side. "I'm interested to know how you heard of me."

Taking a deep breath, I finally reveal my history with their kind. "Two years ago, back in Phoenix, I met a girl named Mircalla. I'd snuck into the 18 & Up night at a club where she was hunting. We hit it off—instead of her, ya know, killing me—and became best friends for like a year. I knew she wasn't normal from the start, but didn't pressure her to explain or make any sort of deal out of it, so eventually she just told me what she was and all about vampires. But her old coven… she'd been nomadic for a couple decades, after a sort of falling out with them, so when they caught wind that she was around again…" Well, they already know what happened. I again suppress the images of that night so Edward won't see. "I've never ever told anyone about her before, not even Bella, and I know Mircalla didn't tell anyone about us. So I have a track-record of being a confidant and ally to your species, and I believe you all enough that you're currently allies to humankind." I look around at all of them, their faces of immaculate stone. "May I please get on with my life now?"

None of them react at first, until finally Alice bounds up. Back to her chipper self it would seem. "Yep! Come on, I'll take you home. Bella's making your favorite tonight."

French toast for dinner! For a moment, my excitement overshadows my self-control and the resident superpowered vamps grin at me. As Alice and I head out, Dr. Cullen and Esme bid me farewell and Emmett waves. A lackluster wave back to them is all I can manage.

In the car, Alice side-eyes me. "We're going to respect your wishes, Emma, but it doesn't have to be like this, you know. My premonitions…they're not set in stone; it's based on decisions, so it changes all the time. And I can see that, if you choose to let us, we can all have a friendly future with each other."

Without taking my eyes of the whirring emerald landscape as she speeds back into town, I grimace. "I can't fathom that ever ending well, Alice."

She doesn't reply, and says nothing for the rest of the drive. She pulls over a couple houses from mine and grins. "Bye, see you at school!" I smile below the eyes and swing out of the Volvo. The sedan's gentle engine fades away back towards the main road.

The house is quiet and empty when I let myself in. I find Bella upstairs working on her Trig homework. "How was Art Club?" Her chocolate eyes retract from the jumble of mathematical figures in her notebook. It probably makes sense to her and her bottomless scholastic aptitude, but to me it looks like a mess of numbers superimposed by question marks in my mind.

"Could've been worse. Don't think I'm gonna go back, though." I toss my jacket and sweater into our rocking chair—my designated spot for throwing laundry that isn't a shared piece of clothing; Bella's is the patch of floor right in front of the hamper—and jump on my bed across from her. I know I should start doing my own homework before the epic dinner in store, but I feel too emotionally drained to put my brain to use.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. What was wrong with it?"

"The people there are weird. It was just kinda uncomfortable all around. I'd much rather spend my time here with you." I tilt my head back over the edge of the bed from my lying position and wink at her upside-down.

Bella rolls her eyes but smiles nonetheless. We chat for a while more then she finishes her homework, and eventually I do some of mine when Bella says she's gonna get started on food before Charlie arrives. As the sweet scent of cinnamon and syrup travel upstairs and the getting-familiar sound of Charlie coming home, and the faraway cadence of him and Bell conversing, a feeling of peace blossoms in my bones. The vampire tension is over, my family is fine, and I'm having breakfast for dinner. Things might actually be looking up in this hellhole.

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 **A/N:** Hope you enjoyed! Please leave any constructive criticism in a review :)


	4. Rejections & Acceptances

**A/N:** Hey all! Thanks for the reviews so far, it means a lot!

So I've read the _Midnight Sun_ excerpt for the first time during this chapter, so now there are technically inconsistencies with the canon which I am going to henceforth ignore LOL. If you see me flubbing hardcore anywhere though, please let me know! Also I have a pacing question at the end, so I hope you make it there haha. Enjoy!

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* * *

 **Chapter Four – Rejections & Acceptances**

TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2005

In the month since I parted words with the Cullen/Hale vampires, I have a pretty good time. While it still rains constantly, there is no more snow. Looks like midterms are gonna be a breeze. Angela and I are proper friends, always sitting with each other at lunch and talking and studying; Bella sits next to me too, but half the time her attention is occupied by Jessica and the fanboys. In general, I really feel like I'm settling into a solid routine here.

The only downside being that Bella is kinda miserable. Edward still won't talk to her, making her feel all dejected constantly. Obviously, I don't want my sister to feel badly, but I just can't feel negative about the bloodsuckers keeping their distance, from either of us. She'll get over it, I'm sure she will. It, like all things, even good things like this month so far, must end.

 _ **Yesterday**_

 _Briiiiiing! Briiiiing! Briing-Briing! Briing-Briing! Briiiiiing!_

" _I'll get it," Bella rounded the corner from the kitchen to answer the house phone as we prepared dinner. She had me help this time—I in charge of the rabbit food while she slathered sweet-smelling sauce on a chicken. "Hello? Hey, Jessica. What dance? Oh. I was not aware that was a thing. No, no, you should totally ask him. No, Jess, I'm not going. You have fun with Mike. Yeah, you too. Bye."_

 _When Bells didn't immediately come back into the room, I popped my head through the doorway. "What was that about?"_

 _She turned to me with a grim expression. "There's a school dance in two weeks."_

 _Trying not to snicker at her very serious face, I bit the inside of my cheek. "Okay?"_

" _Apparently it's Sadie Hawkins style, so she wanted my permission to ask Mike. We are not going." She stalked past me and continued on food prep, though pretty much manhandling the fowl now._

" _She thought you'd want to ask Mike? Is she stupid? Wait, don't answer that!"_

 _Bella side-eyed me but couldn't keep the edge of a smirk from lifting her mouth. "Don't be mean. Um, you're okay with not going to the dance, right?"_

" _Pfft, absolutely. I like to dress up as much as the next person, but Forks High School is not exactly a sexy venue. Besides, the only people I'd want to hang out with there are you and Angela, and you'd be uncomfortable the whole time, and she'll probably be focused on Ben. Not worth it by a long shot." I threw a handful of croutons on top of the completed salad and presented the bowl to my twin. "This look good, chef?"_

 _ **Today**_

Jessica mopes all morning and through lunch, sitting by Eric instead Mike at the long table. Everyone can't seem to stop talking about the upcoming event. Thankfully, Angela wants to keep discussing PSAT scores with Bell and me, so we don't have to entertain much of those conversations ourselves.

Not even five minutes into French, my twin-sense goes haywire. I have to fight my eyes to focus on the educational video Madame Wendell put on today, and am thankful for the darkness so no one can tell I'm having an emotional stroke. I can feel Bella's shock, shame, and worst of all: attraction. My heart races in my chest. I raise the drawbridge on our connection, shutting us off from one another completely. I'd been keeping us at a casual, translucent openness ever since my last visit to the Cullen's, but I'm too grossed out to tolerate even a crack of her thoughts coming through. There's no doubt that this is because of Edward though. And here I was having such a good month.

After trying not to have thoughts for an hour, just in case they're not muted enough to escape Edward's notice, I practically sprint to Gym. I get there before Bella, and when she arrives, she's in a foul mood. "What's wrong, Bellsy?"

"Mike asked me to the dance, and Edward…" she grumbles. "I'll tell you about it later." We change in silence then head out onto the floor for basketball. While not a klutz like my sister, I'm not exactly athletically-inclined, so I just quickly pass the ball whenever it ends up in my hands. None of us pass to Bella at all, but she still falls several times, taking me with her for a couple of spills. She's completely spaced out, head filled with the glitter monster. When the coach finally says it's time to dress down and get ready to go, Bella grabs my hand and drags me to the locker room. "Let's get out of here."

We don't wait for the bell to officially dismiss us, and would've been whirring up the engine already if Eric wasn't standing by our repaired taillight (our truck suffered minimal damage in the accident, just the light and some chipped paint; Tyler's parents had to sell their van for parts). We swing our backpacks inside and I climb up onto the open passenger doorframe, looking down at the boy from over the roof. Neither he nor I otherwise acknowledge each other.

"Hey, Eric." A smidge of impatience twinges her greeting.

"Hey, Bella."

"What's up?" Uh oh, she didn't notice how awkward his tone is.

"Uh, I was just wondering…if you would go to the spring dance with me?" His voices breaks on the last word. Bella's attention dials in. Too startled to be diplomatic, she only manages to point out that it's a girls' choice event. "Well, yeah," he admits, shamefaced.

I have to put my hand over my mouth to cover my grin as Bella recovers her composure and forces tenderness. "Thank you for asking me, but I'm going to be in Seattle that day." Ugh, finally we're going to up there! Good thinkin', Bells.

Eric suggests "maybe next time," to which my sister absentmindedly agrees, then he slouches off. A low chuckle passes in front of our hood—Edward, looking straight ahead, lips pressed together. In unison, Bella and I jump into our seats and yank the doors shut. She revs the engine, more deafening than I knew our old gal could, and reverses out into the aisle. Immediately, from his space two cars down, Edward slides his stupid shiny Volvo in front of us, cutting off the route. And he just sits there. Waiting for his family. Letting a line form behind us. It takes everything in me not to slam down on Bella's knee to make her drive into him, and from the twitch in her eye I think she's withholding that same feeling.

Suddenly a rap on Bella's window echoes into our tense cab. Tyler Crowley waves through the glass. Looking into the side mirror, his new used Sentra sits running, door left gaping, from his lead spot in the growing traffic jam. Bella cranks the window lever, but it gets stuck halfway down. "I'm sorry, Tyler, I'm stuck behind Cullen."

"Oh, I know—I just wanted to ask you something while we're trapped here." He grins. "Will you ask me to the spring dance?"

I don't bother hiding my shit-eating expression this time, suppressing laughter. Bella, on the other hand, tries to suppress her sharpness. "I'm not going to be in town, Tyler." The boy doesn't lose an ounce confidence, however.

"Yeah, Mike said that." At Bella's confusion and to my utter delight, he explains: "I was hoping you were just letting him down easy." She shoots him down again, he just shrugs. "That's cool. We still have prom." Then walks back to his car.

In a daze, Bella rolls the window back up, and as soon as we're soundproofed again I burst into guffaws. I think I should definitely make an effort to befriend Tyler now, he just made my week. Through my tears of amusement, I see Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper piling into the Volvo. In his rearview mirror, looking straight into our windshield, Edward shakes with laughter. Oh my god he made this happen on purpose. I can't believe he has a sense of humor. And that it was actually so, so worth it. _That was priceless, thank you_ , I project my thinking-voice. I have no idea if he heard me or not, as he's already speeding away.

Conversely, Bella mutters angrily all the way home. She storms straight into the kitchen upon arrival, throwing together ingredients for what looks like chicken enchiladas. That's a long process, so she's definitely trying to stay distracted. I run upstairs and grab the laptop, my sketchbook, and The Killers, which I pop in the disc drive once I'm back downstairs. The music will help both of us concentrate.

Neither of us get far in our respective tasks before the telephone rings. I get out half an offer to pick it up, but Bella marches past me before I can finish. When I hear that it's Jessica on the other end, I'm glad it wasn't me after all. From what I eavesdrop—Jessica and Mike are going to the dance together, and Bella suggested Angela ask Eric and Lauren ask Tyler, and sorry, we'll be in Seattle—I expect her spirits to have lifted come when she comes back to cook. Instead, she's just as unhappy and preoccupied as before.

"Hey Bells…you wanna talk about it?"

She sighs over the onions. "Edward talked to me in Bio today. He said it's better if we're not friends. He regrets not letting that stupid van squish me. He said he doesn't, but he clearly does. He can totally tell how absorbed I am by him and doesn't want to lead me on; he's not interested in me—who is not interesting—and he's the most interesting, brilliant, perfect person on earth who may or may not be able to lift a full-sized van with one hand. So, I'm just going to leave him alone, and he's going to keep staying away from me. You were right this whole time; I shouldn't have gotten mad at you at the hospital. I'm sorry for that, and for ranting just now."

Shit on a stick, this has gone absolutely sideways. I never thought she'd attach her self-esteem to a crush like this. To be fair, this is exactly part of vampirism—using allure and seduction to create a willing victim. For someone with an ironclad mind, my sister is apparently extremely susceptible to the undead's other charms.

"Isabella Marie Swan. Don't you dare apologize for shit. _You_ are interesting and brilliant, and Edward is _not_ perfect. And he really doesn't regret saving you from Tyler's van. Actually, he's pretty absorbed by you too, to be honest. I'm still right, though, you shouldn't be friends with him. He's a wolf in sheep's—no, it's more like—he's a lion in a wolf's clothing."

"…he's absorbed by me too?" Oh for the love of god, that's what you took from that?

"Bell, please focus. You have got to stop putting yourself down, it's not healthy and I can't have you believing bullshit like that. You're exceptional, a once-in-a-lifetime bona fide slam dunk."

"First of all, how dare you use sports metaphors at me. Second, I'm not once-in-a-lifetime, we're twins."

"And I am also spectacular, thank you for noticing." I wink.

Chuckling, she turns back to the cooking. A small sigh escapes as she redirects again. "Let's go somewhere warm again for college. Southwest, or possibly Hawaii. Sunny beaches and palm trees."

"You got it, sis."

We resume our activities in silence, and I finish up my sketch. We're doing self-portraits in Art class, my least favorite assignment, and so I'm trying to practice without a mirror by pretending to draw Bella instead, then just changing a few things.

When Charlie gets home, he's immediately suspicious at the smell of peppers permeating the house. The closest edible Mexican food is probably down in California. He seems to like the enchiladas well enough though; it's heartwarming to watch him slowly begin to trust us (Bella) in the kitchen more.

When the topic of our Seattle trip comes up, however, he reacts with more resistance than anticipated. After assuring him that we should be okay on gas and we have a map and that no (please) don't come with, he asks, "Will you be back in time for the dance?"

I nearly spit out my drink and Bella looks at him like he's crazy. "No – I don't dance, Dad."

"Oh, that's right." As the half of our gene-pool that passed on balance-problems to Bella, he certainly understands that. "You either, Em?"

"Ah, no thanks. I'm not so much a school dance girl as I am a c—" _Wait, I should not tell my cop father that I, his underage daughter, have gone to clubs_. "—concert girl."

He buys that enough and lets the subject drop, small-talking with us a bit more before we part for our evening routine: Charlie watches sports, we go to our room to finish any homework and do whatever else. I shower while Bella works on Spanish, then we watch last year's _Spider-Man 2_ together on the laptop before bed.

* * *

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2005

The next morning, when we pull into the parking lot, Bella deliberately parks as far as possible from the silver Volvo. Honestly, I think it's because she's too tempted to wreck it. When she descends from the cab and drops the keys into a puddle, however, a white hand flashes out and grabs it before she can. Slamming the drawbridge wide open on my twin-sense, I grit my teeth at the bronze coif and honey eyes of Edfart Cullen leaning against our vehicle. Okay, I lower the drawbridge _after_ calling him Edfart.

Bella jerks upright, startled. "How do you _do_ that?"

"Do what?" He drops the keys into her palm. As I come around the side of the car to stand near them, he acts like I'm not there. My sister doesn't seem to notice me at all as she accuses him again of appearing out of thin air. "Bella, it's not my fault if you are exceptionally unobservant."

We both scowl at him. The whole problem is that she's _too_ observant, dimwit. She looks away from him, moving to link arms with me. "Why the traffic jam last night?"

"That was for Tyler's sake, not mine. I had to give him a chance," he snickers. So he did do it on purpose!

"You—!" For a second I think she's going to throw down some cusses, but instead she just huffs angrily. "I thought you were supposed to be pretending I don't exist, not irritating me to death." His eyes finally flicker to mine, and in a quiet voice, says he's not pretending she doesn't exist. "So you _are_ trying to irritate me to death? Since Tyler's van didn't do the job?"

I flinch, still feeling quite guilty about making her fall toward said van, and Edward loses all humor. "Bella, you are utterly absurd."

My twin practically vibrates next to me, fists clenching. She's usually such a nonviolent person, I think we're both surprised at her reaction. While I agree with his sentiment, I swivel in crisp tandem with Bella and we walk away from him. He calls for her to wait, catching up to us effortlessly and matching our pace.

"I'm sorry, that was rude," he admits. We ignore him. "I'm not saying it isn't true, but it was rude to say it, anyway." _Watch it, buster_.

"Why won't you leave me alone?" Bella grumbles.

"I wanted to ask you something, but you sidetracked me," he chuckles. He seems to have recovered his good humor.

"Do you have multiple personality disorder?" Her tone is severe, ignorant and unaccustomed to the rapid-fire emotional processes of vampires. I remember sometimes Mircalla's moods jumping so fast I had to literally take notes about what to address first. "I was wondering if, a week from Saturday – you know, the day of the spring dance…"

"Are you trying to be _funny_?" Bella interrupts, stopping us mid-step to wheel on him. I nearly slip on the soaked concrete as she lets go of my arm to clasp her white-knuckled hands together.

"I heard you say you were going to Seattle that day, and I was wondering if you wanted a ride."

Wait, what?

What happened to our plan? Not interacting with each other anymore? Staying away from Bella? I frantically scanned the parking lot for his siblings, trying to meet any expression just as shocked or outraged as mine, but they were no where to be found. My sister and the heathen go back and forth for a moment, forgetting me in my silence.

"Honestly, Edward. I can't keep up with you. I thought you didn't want to be my friend." Though our connection, I feel her thrill at the sound of his name falling from her tongue.

"I said it would be better if we weren't friends, no that I didn't want to be." We pause under the dry protection of the cafeteria's roof, providing a clearer view of his intense gaze. "It would be more…prudent for you not to be my friend. But I'm tired of trying to stay away from you, Bella."

He finally glances at me, the smooth marble of his face shifting minutely to show me his desperation. "Will you let me take you to Seattle?" This is probably the closest a vampire has ever some to pleading with a human. I know he can hear both our hearts pounding, can probably feel my blood running cold. Where is Rosalie's biting objections when I need her.

Unable to thrum my vocal chords, I peel eyes to my sister. She's staring back at me, mirroring Edward's expression exactly. A shaky breath slips through the twin-sense: _please_. I look back at Edward, but instead I see Mircalla's face, sunlit and smiling. I blink, warm tan skin turning back to ivory stone, scarlet eyes to gold. My chin dips to nod.

He smiles briefly, and gratitude swims through the drawbridge. Before abruptly walking away, he warns Bella once more that she should stay away from him.

We make our way to English in a daze. I minimize our twin-sense to just a crack, trying to equally stave off her excitement and hide my anxiety. The lesson barely registers with me, I just flip book pages and doodle endless crosshatches, endlessly warring with myself inside. How could he be so stupid to break our agreement? How could I be so stupid to go along with it? Bella is confused but clearly over the moon. What makes me a better sister, making her happy or keeping her safe?

Mike and Eric prattle about the beach trip on our way out, we only half listening, and Government passes like a blur. I squeeze Bella's hand tightly before parting ways for third period. During Art, I don't think. Whizzing through pencil and marker colors, my self-portrait unfolds on the paper without even a glimpse in the provided mirror. My tablemates don't comment on the surrealist approach, the swirled eyes and neon blue lips and melting hair, but the teacher says that, while certainly creative, I need to follow instructions and must redo the piece. I agree to turn in a proper portrait tomorrow, then get dismissed by the bell.

Back together in Trig, neither of us mention how preoccupied we both are nor the conflicting reasons why. We just sit and takes notes in tense silence. It reminds me of last year when I'd been sneaking around with Mircalla. Me, with unsaid secrets; Bella, with unsaid feelings. It hadn't been until almost this month last year, after Mircalla was murdered, that she'd let her concern be known.

 _ **About This Time Last Year**_

 _It's been a week. A whole week without seeing her face, hearing her laugh, without sitting in her dirty ass car listening to rock'n'roll, without watching her shine like amber in the sun. One week without showering, or eating more than age-soft grapes, or picking up a paint brush. Seven days of nightmares when sleep even comes, reliving over and over again the dismemberment, the screaming, the flames. If it wasn't Spring Break, would I have tried to go to school? How could I, when my best friend is dead?_

" _Emma, I need to talk to you." Bella knocks on the other side of the bathroom door. I mumble for her to come in. I slide the periwinkle shower curtain shut, obscuring my nudity from the threshold. My bathwater had long lost its temperature and my toes prune in the soapy wet. I ash my joint but don't bother extinguishing it. She shuts the door behind her, letting out a cough when her lungs realize there's more smoke than oxygen in the air. I hear her sit on the toilet lid. "Are you okay?" When I don't respond, she sighs._

" _We haven't been talking in earnest for almost a year now. I miss you. I know you have your own life and have…tried lots of new experiences now…" Her shadow, soft against the curtain, waves pot haze out of her face. "But you can always talk to me, y'know? It's what sisters are for. I've tried not to pry so far, because you seemed happy, even though I couldn't be a part of it, but…I don't know what's changed this past week, but I'm here for you. If you want, I can help you find a professional or something to tell things to, if you don't want to tell me but need to let it out. We don't even have to loop in Mom. I just want you to be okay."_

 _Tears drop from my jaw and into my bath. I can't imagine what I must look like to her, what the past year has looked like on the outside. I can't tell her anything, though. She can never know about Mircalla or vampires at all. She'll either think I'm crazy or she'll want to know more; either option is too dangerous for us both. I need to buck up, pretend like everything is back to normal, back to how it was before red eyes met mine across a crowded room._

" _Also, Mom will be back in from Phil's game in the morning, so we need to air out the house. It smells like you drowned a skunk in here."_

 _ **Today**_

And I did buck up. I practiced proper hygiene and ate full meals and laughed when the laugh-tracks on sitcoms cued and sketched household items. Granted, I also did two shots of Fireball every morning before school once Spring Break ended and smoked a bowl every night to fall asleep. When the semester ended and it was time to visit with Charlie in California, I forced myself to go; I did a pretty convincing rendition of myself for the month of father-daughters activity, I think even Bella thought I was truly better.

Then, shortly after our birthday in September, Mom announced that she and Phil were getting married. Bella and I put on our nicest dresses and they wed at the courthouse, and I pretended to be happy for them. I am, now, but I think that's when I realized I needed to do better at forgetting about Mircalla and the supernatural. If I couldn't even be happy for my mother at her wedding, then I needed to put the past in a safe little steel box deep in the back of my mind, stop numbing myself to the world, and move on.

 _The world is cruel_ , I grumble in my head. I'd been feeling back to myself for like nine whole months now, and vampires had to walk right back into my life again. And one seduces my sister to boot. _I need a drink_.

When the class ends and we split once more, I trudge towards the woods instead of Physics. Once I've gone some ways under the canopies, where the rain only drips every few feet rather than soaking me, I plop my Trig binder on a big log and sit on it so my butt doesn't get damp. I unzip my backpack, rummaging to the back where a little zipped pocket is sewn. From there I pull out my Emergency Stash. From a half-depleted plastic bubblegum container wrapped in a period pad's plastic, I fish out what remains of my joints from Phoenix. Since I have no plugs in Washington, I bought up and rolled all I could for a rainy day (Forks-pun intended). There are six in my little hidey-spot, and I pluck one and light up. My muscles immediately release their tension and I close my eyes at the familiar feeling of smoke expanding in my chest.

"Did your old school not have the D.A.R.E. program?"

My eyelids fling open and I nearly fall off my log. I cough white puffs and glare at Alice Cullen. Her nose wrinkles at the scent.

"What do you want? Also, what the hell is Edward thinking?"

"Ha, what is Edward thinking, we're always asking that ourselves." She giggles, but when I don't react, she smiles apologetically. "Sorry, telepathy joke." I only take another forceful pull from my joint in response. "I saw that you were going to come out here and thought we could chat."

"I was under the impression that we were all going to pretend the other didn't exist."

"I know. And I can assure you that not everyone is happy about Edward's change of heart, but…well, that's just it, Emma. His heart has changed. He's been depressed and broody for so long, and Bella sparked something in him, something good. I've never seen him take to anyone like this. I see—" She cuts off, considering her upcoming phrasing. "The future is solidifying, Emma; I see it clearer all the time, ever since Tyler Crowley's van almost crushed her." Her lips widen into a conspiratorial grin. "We're going to be friends, whether or not you like it right now."

This time I blow smoke directly at her, a silent and pointed _go away_. "And what is that future, exactly? You don't have to be psychic to see how those two idiots look at each other. Where does it end? Because I can only think of three outcomes, and the kindest one is heartbreak. The other two are unacceptable, Cullen."

I don't miss her fleeting wince, and I'm on my feet in a moment. My stance wavers for a second from the weed – my tolerance has weakened after three months of inactivity. "Which is it, Alice? What does he do to her?"

"Emma, please, try to make this work with us? You love Bella so much, and so will we all. I just want everyone to be as happy as I've Seen we can be. Here, I even have a gift—okay, it's sort of a bribe, but you're a tough nut to crack so don't judge." She reaches into her bookbag and reveals a piece of paper sheathed in a sheet-protector, handing it out to me.

There's nothing I want more than to not even glance at what's on the paper, but high-brain kicks in and I can't ignore my curiosity. I step forward slowly, peeking at the outstretched…rendering of me? I step closer, taking the paper from her to inspect. In ink pen and colored pencil, it is certainly a portrait of me. It looks like my own handiwork too, never quite getting the eyelashes right or the shading of hair behind the neck, and my signature is looped in the bottom corner. Did Alice forge my art?

"It's for the self-portrait you have to redo. In my vision I saw you hand it in to Ms. Reynolds tomorrow, so I know you accept it." She assures, a smirk twinging her tone. I nearly burn my weed on drawing-me's nose just to wipe that smirk away. But I can't deny that a small part of me is appreciative; I really did not want to do that assignment. "For the record," she adds, "I liked your first one better. You're very talented. I'm more of a fashion girl myself, but I've been to art school quite a few times now. Do you know where you want to study yet?"

"Stop trying to distract and flatter me," I scowl. I raise the joint up to my lips for the final inhale, then flick the roach to the ground and squash it into the moist earth. "We're not friends. I've already had my vampire of my lifetime, I don't want any of you." I shouldn't have thought about Mircalla while high. I can feel the old numbness, the old sorrow, creeping back in. "Please go away now. I want to be alone."

"Fine, fine, I'll give you more time to come to terms with everything. Which, again, you will eventually! See you at lunch." She winks and disappears. Her ever-cheerful attitude is perpetually disturbing.

As soon as she's gone I _thunk_ back down onto my binder-seat. Our exchange replays in my head, and I hate that I'm starting to agree with her. Edward sparks something missing in Bella, too, and at the end of the day I just want her to be happy. It's what sisters are for.

* * *

 **...x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x...**

 **A/N:** Hope you enjoyed! Please let me know if the current pacing of Emma's history with Mircalla is working for you, or if I shouldn't be so withholding. Thank you1


	5. Scary Stories

**A/N:** Thank you so much to everyone who has followed and reviewed, it means a lot! I know this chapter is a little shorter, but it is quite full, I promise. (Man, don't chapters always look longer in their original document? Haha...)

Let me know if you catch the _Clueless_ reference by the way!

 **...x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x. .x.x...**

* * *

 **Chapter Five –** **Scary Stories**

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2005 – CONT.

.

I hear the distant sound of school bells dismissing for upperclassmen lunch and head back towards civilization. Memories of Mircalla slip in and out of my steadfast attempts to not think about her. I try focusing on the greenery, how extra lush it all looks in my hazy state, and how my body picked the perfect time to get the munchies. None of the other bustling students seem to notice that I emerge from the woods instead of a classroom.

When I enter the cafeteria, my eyes zero-in on Bella immediately. She's walking in with Jessica and looking particularly twitchy. Her own gaze slides over to the Cullen/Hale table, returning disappointed. I look to see why, to find that Edward isn't sitting with his family, instead he's at a table alone a few feet from me. Shifting my route to the lunch line slightly, I pass directly by him and kick his chair. I chuckle only enough for him to hear—while I find myself absolutely hysterically funny right now, but I probably shouldn't give away to the entire room that I'm blazed.

Stepping behind my twin, I try to pay attention to what Jessica's conversing about. Something about their group all going to the dance together. The smell of food distracts me for most of her babbling. Bella doesn't seem to be paying any mind at all, and only grabs a lemonade as we move down the line.

"Hey, Bells. If you're not gonna eat, will you get food anyway and give it to me?" I flash a toothy grin at my sister. Her attention comes back at her name, and she starts to agree before noticing my face.

"Em…are you high?"

Jessica stops talking and widens her eyes at me. "You're high _at school_?"

I start to giggle, nodding, until I have to smush my hand over my mouth to calm myself. Bella sighs but grabs some chips and a brownie with her drink. We get to the end of the line, and Jessica's scandalized expression changes to gossipy again (can you see 'gossipy' on a face? Is 'gossipy' a real word?).

"Edward Cullen is staring at you again." Her head snaps up, finding the lone vamp across the room. He motions for her to join him and even winks. "Does he mean _you_?" Jessica asks with insulting astonishment in her voice. I step on her foot as I pass her, not bothering to apologize like it was an accident.

"Maybe he needs help with his Biology homework," Bella mutters. It sounds very much for Jessica's benefit. "Um, I better go see what he wants." She glimpses at me and frowns at my red corneas, then walks away. I force myself not to watch her go sit with him, instead a fuming Jessica follows me to our table.

Right before I can make it to the safety of Angela, the modelesque bound of Alice Cullen cuts me off. She seems completely nonplussed by my glare. "Hi, Emma! Do you want to join my family at our table today?" Behind me, Jessica absolutely chokes.

 _Way to lay it on thick, pixie-thing._ I glance at the table in question. Emmett appears amused as hell, smirking lightly at me, while Jasper looks like he might throw up as he stares at his mate. Rosalie has her fists clenched, stabbing the plastic tabletop with her glower.

I snort. "No thanks, Cullen." Not trusting myself to say more in my inebriation, I simply step around her and sit opposite Angela. My dear tall friend takes a swift bite of her homemade sandwich and avoids eye contact, whereas a quick glance to my left shows the rest of our tablemates either staring at me or my twin like we're zoo animals.

Jessica practically slams her tray down next to me. "So you guys are, like, best friends with the Cullen's now? Do you get _high_ with them, too?"

I rip open my bag of Doritos and stuff a handful in my mouth. "Bella doesn't get high. And no, not friends," I manage through nacho cheesy goodness.

From further down the table, I can hear the nasal hiss of Lauren. "It's one thing to spark up a doobie and get laced at a party, but it is quite another to be fried all day."

"You have parties here?" I laugh, careful not to spray Angela with chip chunks.

Austin Marks, best friend of Angela's crush Ben, teases across Mike and Eric's stares at my sister. "Haha! Of course we have parties! We know we're a small town, Emma, we gotta have _something_ to do."

Ben shakes his head. "There are _sometimes_ parties, and never crazy. News travels fast in a small town, so it's easier to get caught about it. Probably even more so now that you and Bella are here, since your dad is the police."

Another snort escapes me as I open my second chip bag. "Please. Charlie is about as observant as a….as an…what's something obtuse? Triangle! Obtuse as—wait, right, observant as a triangle." From behind her sandwich, Angela giggles at my high-speak. "Angie! Are you laughing at me? You bully!"

The rest of lunch seems to be split into two factions: Faction One, the lame half, is grumbly about Bella sitting with Edward. Mike and Eric and Tyler all jealous at the attention Bella isn't giving them, and Lauren and Jessica jealous of the attention they give Bella. Faction Two, the fun half, is me, Angela, Ben, and Austin gabbing as normal, except extra funny because I'm stoned. By the time the bell rings, I even forget to check on my sister and the resident coven. I don't know that that was stupid until Bella doesn't show up for Gym.

An irate looking Mike shuffles into the gymnasium alone, and I corner him before he can reach the boys' locker room. "Mike, hey! Where's Bella?" I open my twin connection, trying to feel for her, but it's too fuzzy in my lingering inebriation.

The blonde boy's face scrunches in displeasure. "We did blood typing in Biology and she fainted, so Cullen took her home."

All color drains from my face. I knew it, I knew he couldn't handle it, and now he's going to DRAIN MY SISTER. I fucking bolt, not caring that Coach Clapp calls after me. My boots slap puddles onto my jeans as I run towards the parking lot, the Chevy within sight. I yank on the driver-side handle, but it doesn't give. She didn't leave me the keys. Oh my god, what do I do? Do I fucking run home? Do I call Charlie? Do I immediately go to set Edward's house on fire?

"Whoa whoa, let's not get drastic, please." Alice's twinkly voice cuts into my panic. I round on her sudden form, wishing so badly I could hit her, with my fists or my car, I don't care which. "Edward hasn't done anything to her, Emma, and he's not going to. She's safe with him."

"Yeah fucking right! Take me to them, NOW." I use the tone that scared Bella our first day at Forks High. She does not react to it at all.

"Edward will be back soon with your keys, then you can go home and see Bella for yourself."

Even though it's about as futile to intimidate a vampire as it is a megalodon, I get in her face. "You run faster than cars. My eyes on them. Now."

Her delicate eyebrows furrow. "You're going to start getting in trouble if you skip so much class."

" _Now_."

She stamps the wedge of her beige leather boot into the asphalt, slightly denting the rock. "You are not the boss of me, Emma Swan! And you're not the boss of Bella either! You need to take a chill pill!"

"UGH! Why couldn't you have stayed away, huh? We agreed to ignore each other, that he would let her be. Coming to this stupid town was supposed to be easier, safer! I'm supposed to keep her safe! She was never supposed to be exposed to vam—things like you. I kept her in the dark for a _year_ , and your fucking moron brother couldn't mind his own business for three _months_. I've seen what your kind can do, to people and to each other, what you all are really capable of. If one hair on her brilliant dumb head gets even _sniffed_ wrong, I'm going to stop being so nice, Cullen."

"This is you being nice?!"

"This is me being a fucking saint."

Alice growls this time, truly growls, like a leopard. "Fine. Be that way. I'll stop trying to be your friend. But I'm not going to stop trying to be Bella's, because that's written in stone, Emma. I like her; I see exactly what you see in her. And she's going to like us back, because we are more than our circumstances. I really hope you can get over yourself and understand that too."

Just like before lunch, she's gone in an instant, and I'm left waiting in the rain. Now that a vampire isn't directly in front of me anymore, the adrenaline in my veins wanes and I deflate against the side of my car. Why is it that every time after I argue with Alice Cullen, I feel like total garbage?

It's extremely unfair that she has some valid points, because I don't trust any of their coven by a molecule, especially Edward. I _have_ understood beyond the circumstances, with Mircalla; that she was a fantastic person despite her even dieting on humans—she was hilarious, and fun, and cool, and sweet—but it ended so horribly. In carnage.

In my mind's eye, memories escape their cages.

 _ **About A Year Ago**_

 _At the end of the school day (Friday, thank god), I reach instinctively into my back pocket and find a slip of notebook paper. 'Our spot, 8pm'. A grin flutters my lips open, and I head towards the bus depot to meet up with my sister._

 _We have few classes together this year because Bella's in advanced placement, so we tell each other about our days on the ride home. She aced an Algebra II quiz, her friend-ish Jasmine lost her Home Ec fake-baby, and she narrowly avoided knocking over the most popular girl in school during a klutz-out in the hallway. I failed a Geometry quiz, my friend-ish Derek got detention for making out with his boyfriend in the choir closet, and I narrowly succeeded at calling the douchey rich boy in my French class some creative foreign insults._

" _Homework, dinner, then Extreme Makeover: Home Edition?" Bella asks as we walk from our bus stop to our house. Mom got us hooked on this new tv show where struggling families' houses get redone, but is gone to Albuquerque for the weekend for Phil's game so would miss this one._

" _Yes, yes, no. I'm going out tonight after dinner. You'll have to tell me how the episode goes." I say nothing more on the matter, segueing into having her help me with our World History homework. By now, she knows not to question me about what I'll be doing or where or with who._

 _I barely eat the raviolis Bella makes us, too keyed up watching the clock. As soon as our plates are clear, I zip to our room and get cute. I layer a mesh top with my band shirt and change out my school-length-appropriate skirt for some shorts, and switch from Converse to platform sandals, then reapply my lipgloss. Since I'm not sure what tonight may entail, this is probably the most universal outfit for potential activities, whether it be just hanging out or going out on the town—and if not, Mircalla will just steal something nicer for me, like usual._

" _Later, Bells. Don't wait up." I call over my shoulder as I rush out the door at 7:30. If she responds, I miss it; I'm already halfway down the street towards the meeting spot._

 _Just as my swatch tocks eight, I arrive. The trailhead that will eventually lead to the Arizona Canal is nearly always empty, except for a familiar shitty Toyota. Mircalla, all smirk and scarlet irises and tan skin shimmering in the sunset like smoky quartz, waits for me on the hood of her car. In the back of my mind I note that I probably didn't get cute enough—I look rather casual compared to her sharp military jacket and tight velvet dress. The rest of my mind, however, just fills with joy._

" _Buenas tardes mi hermosa coyote!" The high rasp of her voice carries over the dirt and gravel. Her playful nickname for me: beautiful coyote. 'Because you're fearless and scrappy,' she'd told me after I asked her to translate the first time; 'and I guess pretty enough,' she'd added with a wink._

" _Hey ya ugly bat!" I tease, running to jump onto the car with her. From her side she opens a big black parasol, setting it on the roof behind us to block the sun so I can see her properly. Even though she's nearly three-hundred years old, she still doesn't look a day older than me at sixteen. "What's on the docket tonight? You look really nice."_

 _She smiles, the single dimple in her right cheek deepening. "Thank you, Em. I thought I'd leave that up to you—would you like to go into the city, or into the country? I have a good time set for us both ways."_

 _For a vampire, Mircalla is the queen of human parties. She loves being surrounded by people and music and debauchery…whether or not she eats said people. Since the inception of our friendship last year, when she'd found me in a club using the worst fake I.D. on the arm of a senior boy I should've known was up to no good, she's taken to me to bars, clubs, concerts, house parties, college parties, and events all over the state. With her speed, travel is a nonissue._

" _Hm. Let's do city tonight, in case I need to crash at your place tonight." That is, so that I can definitely stay at her place tonight. Her apartment is just as shitty and bare as her car, but it has a working fridge, a bathroom, and a bed, and that's good enough as long as she's there with me._

 _She seems to read the deviousness in my eyes. "Oh? Should we just stay in, coyote?" Her perfectly manicured nails trace the hem of my sleeve, lightly brushing the pulse at my wrist._

 _A blush flares in my cheeks and I roll my eyes to deflect. "Let's get going, batty. Where's this city shindig at?"_

 _Assuring me that my outfit is perfectly acceptable for the venue, she drives us to the west end of downtown. Not too far from her own abode, we reach an industrial area with construction companies and old factories. She leads me into one of the warehouses, where the dim disco lights and thumping beats of a rave have already begun._

 _We party for hours. I share a couple joints with an ecstasy-happy couple and drink one beer, but otherwise I'm just high on Mircalla. She's said that that's how it is with vampires, that they're intoxicating. I think she's just special._

 _Around 2am, she times a whisper into my ear with a fat bass drop. "Let's go home, Emma." She wraps her arms around my shoulders from behind, nuzzling into the crook of my neck. Despite the room's heat and regardless of her low body temperature through her jacket, goosebumps race up my spine. I nod and she shifts around me to take my hand and take us out._

 _Just before she opens the door, she suddenly stops. She turns right into me, face millimeters from mine. "You left your bag behind the DJ. I'll start the car." Halfway through my swivel and thanks, she yanks on my hand and whispers directly onto my mouth, "Love you."_

 _I don't see the lack of crinkle around her eyes, the desperation in them. I'm still playful, saying nothing, pressing a smiling kiss, letting go of her hand and scurrying over to my purse's safe haven across the room. I duck behind the black curtain backing the disc jockey's booth, where Mircalla stashed my stuff. A glimmer catches my stray glance through the broken windows, and I figure I have a second for curiosity, and I'm still buzzed so all things are a good idea._

 _The music is still loud and vibrating the cement beneath my feet, but its nothing compared to the blood rushing through my ears, and that is nothing compared to the metallic wrenching sound of two amber vampires ripping Mircalla's arms from their sockets._

 _I can't move, I can't scream, I can't breathe. My thoughts blur behind my flickering eyes, watching blood-red venom spatter against the brick walls of the warehouse next door. One of the vampire men lights a fire, further illuminating the fractured bones and muscles wilting out of my best friend, my heart. She'd joked once that if her old coven ever found out she was here, they'd kill her. She'd assured me that that would never happen. She'd drawn the faces of all of them, just in case though, and told me to run if I saw any._

 _I see two of them, right now. Murdering Mircalla, piece by piece, engulfing those pieces in flames, until all she is, is a head, held aloft by coffee-colored hair. Her face is away from me, no smirk or dimple or kiss. Just broken, dark, and scarlet._

 _ **Today**_

"Did you run?"

My limbs unlock and I jolt against the Chevy, scared out of my wits and choking on remembered panic. Through the rain and the tears apparently streaming down my face, I make out the blurry pale form of Edward. He'd seen everything.

I slide, back still on the car, until I'm a puddle on the asphalt. Edward crouches slowly next to me, finally just sitting too, soaking his designer jeans. I can't even manage a chuckle at that.

That deep emptiness from the week after she died fills my organs and my veins, and I can't find it in myself to care that Edward knows what happened and is reading my mind. Caring about things seems pretty pointless right now. Inside my chest, shutter breaths rock my diaphragm. "Yes," I whisper. "They didn't notice me because of the rave. I rubbed against the other people on the way out so they couldn't smell her on me. I had to leave her car. I had to walk home. It was the worst day of my life."

I let him watch my memory from the rest of that night, and through that week. It took me over two hours to walk home, alone in the night in the city, trying to be intangible. How all I wanted was to go to her apartment and still smell her, find a keepsake maybe, but I couldn't return to anywhere we'd been or else her old coven could track me. All I had to remember her by was the bag of weed she'd stolen for me, so I smoked my way through memory after memory of laughs and parties and intimacy and bliss.

"I see why you hate me." Edward murmurs. The school dismissal bell rings, nearly restarting my reverie of horror. The vampire still alive (ha) next to me stands. "Come on. You don't want everyone to see you like this." Logic must still exist in my head somewhere, because I accept his helping hand and rise. He holds out my hand to plop my car keys in, but at the last second changes his mind. "I shouldn't let you drive traumatized. Either I'll take you, or I can get Emmett or Rosalie to."

 _As long as it's not Alice_ , I snort internally. He cracks a grin at that, very aware from my thoughts how I'm currently at odds with his sister. _You drive. I'd probably let Rosalie eat me or something, and Emmett is too...flippant, I guess. Besides, I really don't feel like talking-talking._

He nods and unlocks my vehicle. We climb in, dampening the worn leather with our rain-sodden butts. We're out of the lot just as other students are making it out.

"I need you to know that I have similar concerns. About her safety, the way Mircalla had about you."

 _Then why put her in this position in the first place?_ I don't look at him while we 'speak,' instead soften my eyes out the window.

"Probably the same reason Mircalla put you in it." When I only sigh in response and memories start to drift in again, he speaks up again. "At least my family is vegetarian, right? My coven won't ever be a danger, and we're friends with others like us. And there must be even more, since Mircalla knew about the eye color differences to tell you."

 _I guess._

He's quiet for a moment, letting us sit in silence at the red light just before my neighborhood. "How…even though she fed on humans…how was she able to be close to you? Be _with_ you?"

I snap my stare to him. _You want to fuck my sister?_

If a vampire could have a heart attack, I think Edward has one. He sputters denials, trying to be a gentleman and save face. My lip twitches, a ghost of a smile.

"At first she just held her breath," I whisper. These aren't memories he should see for himself. "And she was careful. She fed everyday so that we could hang out safely. She was gentle as possible, and warned me about how not to hurt myself on her. She spent a lot of time around humans; her control probably rivaled your family's, but she just didn't care about human life the same way, y'know? Just mine. She did everything in her power to keep me safe, every second, without denying us anything. I never once felt scared of her."

We pull up to my house and Edward shuts off the car. "Thank you for letting me taking you both to Seattle during the dance, and for letting me in. I understand now just how hard all this is for you. I promise we won't make it harder—I'll talk to Alice, she'll back off. Have a good night, Emma."

 _Yeah. You too. Thanks for taking care of Bella today. The irony, right?_

"Ha, to say the least."

He's gone in a flash, and I steel myself to go inside and face my twin again. I'll chastise her for not letting me know what happened, then we'll do our homework and she'll make us dinner, and Charlie will come home and he'll chastise her too, and then I'll go to bed early. Yeah. Alright, here we go.

* * *

SUNDAY, MARCH 6, 2005

.

Bella doesn't know how to delete her search history. When I finally get up after she's stomped out of the house, which was after waking up ungodly early to shower and get on the laptop for a couple hours, I check on what was aggravating her so much. I'd felt her have a nightmare before she woke, but thankfully our dreams never spill into each other's heads.

She'd been agitated and cagey ever since getting home from the beach yesterday, not even bothering to tell her dear grounded twin all about it (the school finally called Charlie about my truancy issues). But now that I see what she was looking at online, it becomes painfully clear.

She's found out about vampires.

Someone down at La Push, clearly a native since she was researching Quileute myths, told her about the Cold Ones, and she followed the crumbs. In my mind I reach out for her, trying to touch her consciousness, and feel that she's faraway and that her head is very full. She's muddling over. I think she's in the woods.

I try not to freak out, try to be rational. What do I think she'll actually do with this knowledge?

Probably nothing. She's smart, and if she's afraid, then she'll stop hanging out with Edward which is a win-win. I may have had a moment with him, but my mistrust of the situation is steadfast. If she's not afraid though—damn those twin genes—then she'll probably confront him at some point. Test out their dynamic. She trusts him, apparently, so she won't accept that he could be a danger to her. And, yeah, I guess I don't think he's an _immediate_ danger to her either. Under duress, he's just as capable of horror as any of their kind, but he cares about her safety. So, I guess that's good…

Do I warn them? Keep this to myself, not expose her yet, in case Bella does too? Yes, yes that's best. If she doesn't bring it up, then neither will I.

I can't stomach breakfast, but when Bella returns at noon, I offer to make lunch. She declines, getting dressed and starting on her English paper. Charlie's out fishing, so it's just us and this tension. I don't even think she can feel it, she's too wrapped up in her revelation. Trying to distract myself, I force mostly-cooked pizza rolls down my throat then get started on my own essay. Not even into the first paragraph, my nerves unbundle and I retreat downstairs again. I grab a beer from the fridge and turn on the TV, not bothering to flip the channel from whatever sports station Charlie had it on, and trying to write down here. There's some saying about idle hands, but I feel much more like "idle mind" in this case.

Bella sleeps soundlessly in her bed later, while my dreams sting with pale crystal bodies mauling a girl through a mirror, who at first I think is me from before I dyed my hair, until she moans Edward's name. I jolt awake, and for a moment my dream spills over and I think I see Edward curled in the corner of our room, but I blink and the blip is over, and I fall back into a restless slumber.

* * *

 **...x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x..x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x..x.x.x...**

 **A/N:** By the way! If you are interested in seeing outfits/character visuals, I have a ShopLook profile (the best alternative to Polyvore, if y'all remember that and/or how it apparently died). I have a set for Bella+Emma (first day of school outfits), Mircalla+Emma (outfits from this chapter, and what I envision Mircalla looking like), plus a future one for when/if I get further into the series. Check it out here: www. shoplook .io /profile/kyliekay (without the spaces, obviously)(there's also sets for my Harry Potter fanfiction, _Profess_ , if you're interested)

And please drop a review with any constructive criticism! Xoxo


	6. Daymare

**A/N:** Hey y'all, here's another chap. Sorry it's a little short, been having a hard time writing lately. Hope you enjoy.

 **...x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x...**

* * *

 **Chapter Six – Daymare**

TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2005

.

I spent all yesterday morning on edge, specifically because Bella wasn't. She woke up too well-rested, got practically giddy when we discovered a beautiful sunny day out, sped us to school early, and even seemed genuinely happy to see Mike Newton. I felt virtually ecstatic when he asked her out and dampened the vibes. The good news was that the Cullen's were absent due to the sun. Of course, that just dragged Bella's mood into the gutter for the rest of the day, unsettling me again.

By the time we fell into our beds at the end of the day, I was fucking exhausted. I mean, it was a normal, boring day in Forks, but being so wrapped up in my sister's emotions is leaving me drained. I feel obsessed, like my stability is absolutely tethered to her emotional well-being, and it doesn't feel nice, or healthy.

As soon as we wake up and see that it's another glorious day outside, I resolve to think about just my own life today. I'll pay attention in class, revise my English essay for tomorrow, and get hyped about going dress shopping with the girls this afternoon. It _will_ be a good day. I manifest it into the universe.

To help start off my morning right, I drive us to school. Bella's acting gloomy and sluggish, and would probably barely get us to school on time. I close off our twin-sense.

School goes swimmingly—utterly average in every way. A human girl could get used to this. And by lunch, we receive word that Lauren won't be joining us in Port Angeles. Even Bella's spirits lift at that—no, wait, I'm not including her feelings in my reactions today. _My_ spirits are even more lifted. There's a lightness to my step as I move on to French and totally ace a pop quiz. Even Gym goes well, as there's a substitute today so we pretty much get a free-for-all, so Bells and I finish our English papers (and Bella helps Mike with his).

After school, Jessica follows us home in her old white Mercury so that we can ditch our books and truck. We quickly adjust our appearances—Bella brushing through her long hair, me reapplying my lip gloss, and us switching from backpacks to purses. Bella also leaves a note for Charlie reminding him she left his dinner on the top shelf of the fridge, then we bound back outside to hop in Jessica's car. Contemplating finally getting out of Forks has us vibrating with anticipation. We pick up Angela at her house, then drive out of town.

The whole ride there we listen to whiny rock songs while Jessica jabbers on about the boys in our friend group, and how her date with Mike went well and she expects them to have their first kiss by Saturday night. She also tries to goad Angela into confessing what her type is, but Bella segues the discussion into fashion to spare her.

When we make it to Port Angeles (at about four, since Jess drives quite a bit faster than dear old dad), we find that it's really a beautiful little tourist trap, more polished and quainter than Forks. But our friends know it well and don't plan to waste time on the picturesque boardwalk by the bay. Jess drives straight to the one big department store in town, a few streets in from the visitor-friendly waterfront.

The dance is billed as semiformal, and we aren't exactly sure what that means. Both Jessica and Angela seem surprised, almost disbelieving, when Bella admits she's never been to a dance in Phoenix.

"Didn't you ever go with a boyfriend or something?" Jess asks dubiously as we walk through the front of the store and make our way to the Juniors' section.

"I've never had a boyfriend, or anything close. I didn't go out much," she explains. That and—what she doesn't want to say—she's a lousy dancer due to her extreme clumsiness. When asked why not, she continues. "No one asked me."

"People ask you out here, and you tell them no." Jess doesn't sound steely when she says this, rather more with a hard sort of kindness. I pluck an electric blue dress from a rack for her, and she _oohs_ at and tucks it over her arm.

Quietly, Angela's voice emerges while she fixes her eyes firmly elsewhere. "Well, except for Tyler."

In perfect sisterly unison, we round on her. "Excuse me?"

"Tyler told everyone he's taking you to prom." When Bella nearly chokes in response, Angela turns her murmur to Jess. "I told you it wasn't true."

Jessica bursts into giggles and starts pawing through clothes more thoroughly now. "That's why Lauren doesn't like you."

While our curly-haired friend entertains Bella's threats to Tyler's safety, Angela and I scope for a suitable outfit. "What about you, Emma? Did you go to dances?" She asks while flipping through a particularly taffeta-infested section.

"Well, not school ones. I had a fake ID, so I went to other places."

"I guess my brothers are still too young to grow out of the go-everywhere-and-do-everything-with-your-twin thing, huh?" Angela laughs politely. Even Angie is starting to realize that even though Bella and I come paired in the same box, we really are two different sets of shoes.

The dress selection isn't large, but both of our friends find things to try on. We sit in the low chairs just inside the dressing room, by the three-way mirror, while they see what fits. Jess ends up torn between two—a long, strapless, basic black number, and the knee-length electric blue number with spaghetti straps that I picked out. Bella encourages the blue, to play up her eyes. Angela chooses a pale pink dress that drapes around her tall frame nicely and brings out the honey tints in her light brown hair. We shower them with compliments and return their rejects. The whole process is much shorter and easier than similar trips we'd taken with Renée at home (who must try on a minimum of ten things, requests different sizes or colors in half of them, and then walks around the store selecting different accessories too while still wearing her try-ons).

Speaking of, we head to shoes and accessories next. Bella converses quietly with Angela while the taller girl tries on pink strappy heels, and I pretend that I don't catch the name Cullen. Today is No Getting Wrapped Up In Bella Day, so I will not eavesdrop or overthink or even care about my sister asking our friend about the local vampires. Nope, I will not. I follow Jessica dutifully to the jewelry and help her choose some rhinestone earrings to match her silver shoes. At last, the girls check out all their stuff, but we're still an hour early for our dinner reservation at an Italian restaurant on the boardwalk.

"Let's go put our bags in the car then walk down to the bay!" Jess suggests. Angela and I start to nod our heads, but Bella says she's gonna go find a bookstore instead. We offer to go with her, but she encourages us to go have fun, that she gets super preoccupied around books and she prefers to do it alone, and that she'll meet us for dinner in an hour. The getting-too-familiar feeling of dread creeps into my chest, but I squish it down as hard as I can. I am having fun today, not worrying.

"Okay, if you're sure. Knock on my noggin if you need anything." I wink at her and crack the twin-sense connection back open. She laughs then sets off in the direction Jessica suggests. Turning back to our friends, I laugh at their befuddled faces. "It's a twin thing."

The three of us have an awesome time together—I don't even get that annoyed with Jess! Perhaps I haven't given her as much of a chance as I should've; Angela likes her a lot, that should've clued me in that there is more to her shallow high school nonsense. I mean, there is still _so much_ shallow high school nonsense, but it's becoming clear that Jessica is just one of those people who wears different faces around different people. When it's just Angie (and us Swans, now, I guess), she's way chiller. When Lauren is around, though, that's when my least favorite Jess comes out to play.

We walk around the pretty parts of Port Angeles for the better of our hour, just gabbing about normal teenage stuff, then make our way to the restaurant, La Bella Italia. Naturally, we have a good giggle about the name. When our Bella doesn't show up on time, I try not to freak. Everything seems calm in the twin-sense, as much as I can gather from the distance anyway. She's probably just wrapped up like she said, or mildly lost and on her way slowly. The girls try to wait, but their stomachs can't bear it anymore and we order some food. I try to stave off my own hunger, but eventually I give in too.

Halfway through my pesto, the dread from before suddenly tsunamis into the marrow of my bones. Fork clattering to the floor as I begin to shake, and I quickly brush off my friends and rush to the restroom at the back of the restaurant. I barely make it, locking the door, my temples feeling like they're going to burst, the drawbridge of the twin-sense crashing wide open. Something is wrong with Bella, she's terrified, she's calling out to me for help. She's never called for help before. I rise from my slump against the sink, bracing myself to run from the restaurant to my sister.

Her 911 stops as suddenly as it started. I sharpen my sensing, try to seek the catalyst of the change. The calm and feeling of security are all too clear, somehow more pronounced than the fear was. She is so sure of her safety, which only makes me more nervous. I feel muddled, like I just got emotional whiplash. Honestly, I feel like whenever I tried to keep up with Mircalla's moods…oh.

I should've known Edward Cullen wouldn't stay away so long.

Splashing some cold water on my face, I take a deep breath and go back to the table. Angela asks me if I'm alright, and I claim menstruation emergency. They immediately back off, and we pay for our meals. Jess mentions her concern for Bella's whereabouts as we head outside. My mental track of my sister gets stronger as she gets closer.

"I'm sure she's just meeting us at the car since she missed dinner." I don't put any heart into my lie. Headlights of a silver Volvo flick off a few parking spaces down from us, and I stand stock still as the troublemakers step onto the sidewalk.

"Emma! Jess! Angela!" Bella yells, waving as the other two turn and rush toward her. I walk much slower, meeting them a few feet away from her at their hesitation upon seeing Edward.

"Where have you been?" Jessica's voice is suspicious.

"I got lost," Bella admits, and definitely telling the truth. Very on-brand for her. "And then I ran into Edward."

"Would it be alright if I joined you?" He uses his silk voice, and the girls waver in place. Clearly, he's never unleashed his talents on them before. He's looking at me when he asks, though, and I know he's really asking if he can keep my sister.

"Um, actually, Bella, we already ate while we were waiting—sorry," Angela confesses. Bella tries to shrug off being hungry, but Edward quietly insists to her and he asks Jessica if he can drive Bell home so we don't have to wait while she eats. Bella winks at her to indicate her desire for this to happen, avoiding my gaze completely. "Okay," Angela jumps into action, grabbing Jessica's hand for the car, "See you tomorrow, Bella…Edward."

With the other two away, I finally lock eyes with Bella, giving her a look that clearly declares, _we are going to talk seriously about this later_. I shift my stare to Edward and think the same directly at him. He gives the barest nod in response. Turning on the spot, I walk quickly away without saying a word.

When I reach the other side of First Street and slide into the Mercury's back seat, Jessica turns to me in surprise. "You're not gonna go with them?"

"Jess, she's not going to go on her sister's date with her."

"I can't believe _she_ got Edward Cullen…" Jess whines, wincing in the rearview mirror as she realizes who she just said that in front of.

"I can't believe she _wants_ Edward Cullen," I counter.

Twisting slightly against her seatbelt, Angela faces me in the dark, the lights of town fading against her face as we drive home. "You know, I think you're the only person I know who really dislikes the Cullen's. Most people are pretty much indifferent to them by now. That day you blew off Alice in the lunchroom was kinda cold, and you never seem comfortable when Edward is around?"

I look out the window at the dark forestry whizzing past. "Yeah, Alice and Edward majorly get on my nerves. The others are okay, I guess. Their parents are really nice."

"Wait, you really have hung out with them?!" Jessica sputters.

"I wouldn't really call it hanging out…I mean," _shit how do I spin this_ , "Alice helped me with an art project, so I went over to their house a couple times about it. But then we got into an argument about Bella and Edward's budding…thing…so…"

"Why don't you want Bella and Edward together?" Angela asks.

"Are you jealous?" Jessica flashes her eyes at me in the mirror again.

I can't help cackling at that, laughing so hard I snort. "I am definitely not jealous. Edward is pretty much the opposite of my type." Red irises and lips wink in fluttering memories, and I stomp her back down. "Bella and Edward…it's not that I think Edward's a bad guy, necessarily, but I just don't think it'll end well for them, and I don't want Bella to get hurt."

"It's sweet how you look out for your sister." _Thank you, Angela; I wish you could get Alice to see it that way._

We turn the topic to lighter fare the rest of the ride home, but I keep my mind's eye on Bella. I can't actually feel her from this far, but just knowing that I'm paying attention this time soothes me. Before long, the hour-trip is over and the girls drop me off in front of my house. The lights are on inside, my truck in the driveway, everything utterly normal. I can't help the sinking in my gut that I won't be able to enjoy such a notion much longer.

Not sure how I'd safely explain arriving alone to Charlie, I climb the truck to lay on its roof and wait for Bells. Looking up at the blossoming stars, I see if I can pick out the constellations Mircalla taught me. The dippers are easy to spot—the Black twins, Rachel and Rebecca, actually showed us the trick for those. Out of the faraway shimmers showing right now, I can find only Orion just above the treetops. A smile twitches at the edge of my mouth as I remember Mircalla trying to force the proper pronunciation for Citlaltlachtli, one of the Central American native names for Orion, from my face by mashing my cheeks and pulling my jaw. No matter what we tried, I couldn't get it right, so she called me _coyote gringa_ for the rest of the night. She went on to explain the mythos of Citlalicue, the goddess of the stars, who created our galaxy with her husband, along with darkness and death.

" _Wow, a vampire I can understand but I don't know if I can handle you being a goddess,"_ I had teased. She rarely ever got confused about anything, but I earned a quirk of eyebrow and speechless tongue that time. I finger-gunned at her. _"Because you're dead. And dark. And you twinkle. Like stars."_ She'd laughed and shoved me off the hood of her car.

I reminisce with stars in my eyes until headlights pollute my view. Edward's Volvo pulls in front of the house, but Bella doesn't get out right away, and when she does, it's slowly. He waits to drive away until I climb down and meet her on the walkway. She avoids my eyes and reaches for the key mechanically, unlocking the door and stepping inside.

Charlie calls from the living room. "Girls?"

"Yeah, Dad, it's us." We walk in to see him. He's watching a baseball game; judging from the second beer on the coffee table and his ruffled mustache, his team must be losing.

"You're home early. It's not even eight yet. Did you have fun with your friends?"

"Yeah, lots of fun," I reply lightly. "They both found dresses."

I can't tell which one of us is giving the tension away, but Charlie tilts his head at us. "Are you two all right?"

"Just tired. Lots of walking and emotional labor, you know how shopping goes." I shrug.

"Well, maybe you should go lie down?" He sounds concerned. Tonight is so not the night we need him to start paying closer attention.

"I'm just going to call Jessica first…" Bella tries to move to the phone.

"Weren't you just with her?"

She sputters. "Yes – but I left my jacket in her car. I want to make sure she brings it tomorrow." Nice save, sis.

"Well, give her a chance to get home first."

"Right," she agrees. Yeah, Bells, because she was supposed to just have dropped us off. She tries to escape to the kitchen, but I catch her arm. She won't directly look at me again, and I can feel a conflict raging inside her.

"I'll be in our room when you're ready." I let go and leave her.

As soon as the bedroom door and my mental drawbridge click shut, Edward appears in front of me. I can't even manage to be shocked. Pushing past him, I kick off my boots and start to unbutton my pants. He whirls in place so he can't see me undress. _Relax, old man, I'm not shy and so very not into you. What do you want? I'm not sure I want to talk to you yet._ Since his presence drops the room's temperature by a couple degrees, I pull on flannel sleep pants.

"She knows."

I stop in my tracks, letting the fresh t-shirt I'm holding drop to the floor. _He knows she knows._ _Wait, shit, fuck, he's a mind reader._ On cue, he turns toward me again, rage-blind to my bra-clad torso as he steps in my face.

His snarl sounds more anguished than angry, however. "Why wouldn't you convince her of the danger?" Before I can even think of an answer, he interrupts. "Act normal."

In a nanosecond he's gone, and a breath later I hear footsteps outside the bedroom. Bella enters quietly, murmurs about a shower as she gathers her caddy, then slips right back out. I don't move the entire time, still frozen in the middle of the room without a top. As soon as rushing water sounds from the bathroom, Edward is back.

"Nice normal," he sneers. He pinches the bridge of his nose, squinting his eyelids closed. Without looking, he bends and picks up the shirt I'd dropped, handing it out to me. I swing it over my head, and he opens his eyes again. "I asked her if she talked to you about it. She said she wasn't sure you'd believe her."

Warmth spreads in my chest despite my mood. _I'd believe anything she tells me – I love her_. Even Edward's expression softens at that. "Yeah, me too."

 _Great_. I clear my throat. "What do we do now?"

He sighs. "I'll let her tell you about what happened earlier tonight. Besides that…now that I know she cares for me too, I truly can't stop now, Emma. I want to protect her, and adore her, and never be apart from her, and…"

"I know. I get it." We watch the way I used to look at Mircalla in my memory. I refocus on him. "And I know exactly how to kill you if you ever hurt her, so let this be the official New Boyfriend warning."

He blinks, surprised. "You'll let me be with her?"

"No. Regardless of my feelings on the subject, I don't let her do or not do anything. We're our own people. We make our own decisions, no matter how stupid they may or may not be. You are hers. So I will protect her, and adore her, and I will never be far away, if you fuck up."

His head nods so vigorously that his perfect bronze tousle flounces into his perfect thick brows. "There is nothing more in the cosmos I desire more than to never hurt her."

"Good. Now please get the hell out of my room. Take a note from the myths and only come in if invited. You seriously gotta learn boundaries."

Vampires can't blush, but Edward's expression is appropriately mortified. He bids me goodnight and exits out the window. Finally alone for real, my muscles relax and I sink onto my bed. My twin must be taking a long shower, because I'm approaching drowsiness by the time she returns.

Bella unwraps her hair from her towel, letting it dampen her sweatshirt as she tucks herself under my blanket with me. My body crowds into the wall to accommodate her. She wraps an arm around me, laying her head on my shoulder. Ignoring the wetness, I pet her long brown tangles.

"I felt you, B. You were so afraid."

She's silent for several moments. "I got lost. I passed this group of guys, but then they followed me." I tense under her. I'm sure she can hear my pulse rising in my throat. "They herded me. It was…bad. _Going_ to be bad. But then Edward showed up. Nothing happened to me, I promise. I'm okay."

My grip tightens in her hair and I fold my other arm over her, squeezing her into a tight hug. "I'm so happy you're alright, Bells. That was really scary." She nods but doesn't respond. Her weight becomes more prominent as she fades into drowsiness. I take my change. "Anything else you wanna tell me?"

"I am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Edward Cullen." And with that, she falls asleep against me. Just like her to throw some big words into the stupidest thing she's ever said.

* * *

 **...x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x...**

 **A/N:** As always, please drop a review with any constructive criticism!


	7. Balancing Act

**A/N:** Hey, so I broke one of my fingers. The only reason this chapter is getting updated before I'm healed enough to type properly is that I already had most of it written. I'll try to update my other fics as soon as I'm physically comfortable to.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy. I'm trying to vary my narrative structure a little more, let me know if it's working or not!

 **...x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x..x.x.x.x.x...**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven – Balancing Act**

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2005

.

The sky is dark gray when we awaken. We rush into our clothes and scarf granola bars downstairs; we're running late, both slow in our hazes from last night. Charlie's even already gone. As we step outside, it's unusually foggy. The air is almost smoky with it, and ice cold where it meets our skins. I can't wait to get the heat going in the truck, but Bella stops suddenly a few feet down the driveway. Through the mist I make out a silver car parked behind ours. Edward emerges at human speed, pulling his passenger side door open.

"Do you want to ride with me today?"

My twin agrees immediately, stepping into his warm car. They look at me. "I'll take the truck, just in case Charlie cruises by or anything." My excuse is flimsy at best, but neither of them look particularly concerned. He starts the Volvo and hands Bella a jacket for her to wear. They're gone before I'm even fully in my seat.

I have no right to be feeling the pit in my stomach as I do. This is exactly how it went when I met Mircalla. There's no reason for me to suddenly get all lonely and dejected. It's irrational and selfish. I wonder if this is how Bella talked to herself when I did this.

The campus is nearly empty when I finally pull into the lot, and I barely make it to English on time. Mike is asking Bella if Jessica said anything about their date Monday, and is pleased to hear she had a really good time. Mr. Mason calls the class to order, and we turn in our essays and take a reading quiz. If I feel good about anything lately, at least it's my schoolwork. The more successful my academics, the more successful I'll be at getting out of here and off to college. Somewhere with constant sunlight, where vampires could never live.

Government goes by in a blur, and I use Art class to sort out my moop. I talk to Angela, mold some clay into an octopus, and practice some mindfulness techniques that I'd read about in Bella's Psych textbook over the weekend. Breathe deeply. Smell the clay, feel the wet putty between my fingers. Listen to the idle conversations around me. Watch how Angela rolls her clay then kneads it with her thumbs to form flower petals. By focusing on the present with all my senses, I feel my body unwind. I even reshape my octopus's eyes to look happier. Put positivity out, receive positivity within.

The fog outside has almost dissolved by the end of the period, but the day is still dark with low, oppressing clouds. I frown up at the sky. What I wouldn't give for some natural warmth. I'd read about Seasonal Affective Disorder in the psychology textbook too. Wonder if that's not helping my mood since we moved here either.

When I walk into Trig, Jessica is sitting in the back row, nearly bouncing off her seat in agitation. Her face lights up for a moment when I walk in, then seems to realize it's me not Bella, and returns to her previous state. I sigh and sit in front of her, leaving the desk beside for my sister. Bella enters, eyebrows scrunched in anticipation. She'd been expecting Jess's ambush.

"Tell me everything! What happened last night?" She commands before Bell can even make it to her chair.

"He bought me dinner, and then he drove me home."

"How did you get home so fast?"

"He drives like a maniac. It was terrifying." That we can agree on. At least she's terrified by _something_ about him.

"Was it like a date? Did you tell him to meet you there?"

I turn my head to hear the answer too, but Bella's negative is genuine. "No – I was _very_ surprised to see him there."

"But he picked you up for school today?" Jess probed further. "Are you going out again?"

"He offered to drive to Seattle Saturday because he thinks our truck isn't up to it – does that count?"

Jess starts to nod, then looks at me. "Maybe. Will you be with him alone?"

It takes everything in me not to hiss like a damn vampire. Taking a deep breath, I smile through grit teeth. "Just on the drive to and from. They're going out while I run errands."

Both of them state at me speechless for a moment. "W-o-w." Jess exaggerates the word into three syllables. "Edward Cullen. Wait! Has he kissed you?!"

The two carry on their twittering in whispers as class starts. Mr. Varner isn't paying close attention and many others are still talking. I practiced breathing again while I look notes from the board, and eventually the icky conversation behind me ceased as Jessica got called on to answer a question. The rest of class went on as normal, and when the bell rings, Bella takes evasive action by bringing up Mike so that Jess will stop hounding her about Cullen. They wave bye to me, splitting off in the hall for Spanish while I head to Physics. All too soon, though, science class has flown by and the bell rings for lunch.

As to be expected, Bella and Edward arrive together and sit separately by themselves. Part of me is desperate to know what they're talking about. For once, I think this actually makes me completely in sync with the others at my table. Jess and Mike can't stop watching them, while Eric and Tyler and Lauren steal frequent glances. Ben and Austin seem the least concerned, but they're nose-deep in their math textbooks to prep for a test next period.

"Doing anything fun this weekend, Em?" Angela asks, unpacking her homemade lunch. She smiles kindly; she can tell I'm distracted and antsy. Maybe she can read minds too.

I return her smile gratefully and peel the sticker off the apple on my tray. I don't even remember going through the lunch line. "Going up to Seattle to run some errands. I need paint and stuff, and I've been planning on getting a cellphone. What about you?"

"I'm taking my brothers to the coast. It's supposed to be pretty and nice this weekend. It's a surprise—they'll be so excited." She quirks her head at me. "Would you maybe want to come with? Since you didn't get to go on the beach trip before?"

Thank god for Angela Weber. "I would love that, Ange. Thank you. Are you going Saturday or Sunday?"

"Saturday. Will that work around your Seattle trip?"

"Yes." I will make it so. "Will the twins mind though?"

She assures that they're very sociable and will adore me, and we talk for the rest of lunch about her brothers and what a good time we'll have together. It completely takes my mind off the undead and their unholy romance with my sister—whom I should probably tell that I won't be going to Seattle with after all. Pfft, who am I kidding, she was gonna ditch to hang out with her new boyfriend anyway. I'll just go up on Sunday, with or without her.

My new plans ride me through French and badminton in Gym. Mike offers to pair with Bella—though she still whacks them both when Coach Clapp makes her actually play for a minute—and I team up with a boy from our English class. We win our match, another new feeling. Today is really shaping up to be a good day after all. Not even Bella's sudden anxiety as class ends taints my vibe. We change out of our gym clothes and exit in silence; I don't think we've spoken directly to each other all day, now that I think about it. Why doesn't that feel weird? Why do I feel…relieved?

Edward waits just outside the gym, leaning casually against the wall like a total Jordan Catalano. I hesitate a moment, not sure whether to approach with Bella or just go to my car. Only the thought of if he couldn't drive her home moves my feet towards him. They greet each other, making goo-goo eyes, and he makes a comment about Mike Newton that she responds indignantly to, even referencing his telepathy. If I didn't already know about it, their words would've come off innocently as a case of eavesdropping rather than mindreading. It's clever, and humorous.

Bella starts to stomp off towards the parking lot, but I catch her arm. "One sec, Bells." They both turn to me, as if just noticing for the first time that I'm even there. To not dampen my mood, I choose to take this as a compliment of my phat ninja skills rather than an offense. "I just wanted to let you guys know that I can't go to Seattle on Saturday anymore. Angela asked me to the beach. I may still drive up on Sunday, if you want to go, B, but I mean, I sort of doubted that you two were going at all anymore, to be honest. So, yeah, just wanted to update, that's all."

One face of relief and one face of concern peer at me in silence for a beat. Somehow from Edward's expression, I get the impression that he'll talk to me about this later. Bella peeks at her boyfriend to see how he's reacting, and I feel her nerves ignite again. With his inhuman vision, he notices without looking, and schools himself. "Thanks for the update, Emma. I hope you have enjoy the beach," he covers.

"You sure you don't mind postponing Seattle again? I know you were looking forward to it…" Bella nibbles her lip. She seems genuinely sorry for putting off our trip once again.

"Yeah it's no biggie. Technically I could just get us a cellphone at the electronics store in Port Angeles, it's much closer; Seattle just had more options was all. And I'll just steal art supplies from the school."

Bella snorts, but accepts this. "Okay. Well, I hope you and Angela have a good time. The beach really is nice. Maybe you'll see Jacob like I did when I was there! He's grown into a really nice kid." She blushes as she says this, piquing my interest, but she moves on quickly. "He was sorry he missed you last weekend."

Ah, so he must've been the one to tell her about the Cold Ones. If I do see him, I might throttle him. "Thanks, Bellsy. Maybe so. Anyway, you guys drive safe." I direct this at Edward, glaring hard. He smirks and puts his hands up in mock surrender. "I'll see you at home."

We parts ways toward the parking lot, them finagling around a group of boys drooling over Rosalie's red BMW convertible. Edward must have listened to me about his driving, because I arrive at Charlie's first. They pull up a couple minutes behind me, just as I sit down with my homework. Bella walks into the house smiling like a dope. It's honestly pretty cute, regardless of who it's over.

The night continues quaintly. We do our homework, make dinner, Charlie comes home and we eat, Charlie watches some tv while Bella reads and I draw, then we all go to bed.

Maybe I _can_ achieve some semblance of normal here. Like it was before I knew about vampires. Last year was my dalliance in trouble, selfishness, and love. This year so far has been my dalliance in tension, unhealthiness, and fear. I don't want my life to feel this way. I want to feel happy, and safe, and like the future is a beacon of sunshine instead of a monster waiting in the shadows. It's not fair to myself nor anyone around me to stew in the negatives. Yes, there are vampires and Bella's in love with one of them. But it's not my business, as long as she's not getting hurt, and they aren't bad people, and it won't last forever since Eddie can't age. If not liking my sister's boyfriend is the worst thing going on in my life, I think I have it pretty good. I have friends, a low maintenance family, a routine, good grades…I can make it through one more year of Forks, and I will make it a good year.

* * *

THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2005

.

I should know by now that life in Forks can never stay easy. After school—another quaint day, the type of day a human girl could get used to—Bella and Edward sit outside in his car for hours, talking. I pull the rocking chair to the window overlooking the front yard in our room and sketch them through the rain. From this distance, shaded with downpour, they look like two average teenagers. I even invent a streetlight across the line to shine onto their windshield, extra concealing the inhuman brilliance of Edward's face. It's a beautiful scene.

And it's over before I can finish Bella's eyes. A little black car pulls up to the curb, Bella jumps out of the Volvo, and Edward squeals out of sight in seconds. I grab the first article of outerwear in sight and thank the heavens I kept my boots on when I got home, racing down the stairs and out the door. Rain pelts me in the face and glances off my sweatshirt. The lights of Charlie's cruiser swing around the corner, shining on our unexpected visitors.

A tall boy with long dark hair and wide grin climbs out of the driver side of the vehicle. In the passenger seat is a much older and heavyset man with a memorable face—a face that overflowed, the cheeks resting against his shoulders, with creases running through his own russet skin like an old leather jacket. I recognize him immediately, despite not seeing him in five years: Billy Black. His familiar black eyes, seeming both too young and too ancient for the broad face they're set in, are wide and intense as he scrutinizes at my sister. I recognize that look too.

Jacob may have told Bella stories about the Cold Ones, but Billy is clearly the one who believes them.

"Billy!" Charlie calls, stepping out of his car. "I'm going to pretend I didn't see you behind the wheel, Jake."

Using this distraction, Bella beckons to Jacob and rushes to the dryness of the house entrance, flicking the porchlight on. However, the teen stays back to help Charlie unload Billy from their car and into his wheelchair.

"We get permits early on the rez."

"Sure you do," Charlie laughs. I wade slowly back to the light of the porch as they come up the walkway.

"I have to get around somehow." Billy's voice is as resonant as ever, and suddenly I feel like a child again. In my mind I can hear the echoes of his assurances after I caught his face on my fishing fly so long ago.

Bella and I back out of the way to let them hurry in from the rain, Charlie saying what a surprise their visit is. "It's been too long," Billy answers. "I hope it's not a bad time." His dark eyes flash up to Bella again, their expression unreadable.

Charlie doesn't notice. "No, it's great. I hope you can stay for the game."

Jacob grins. "I think that's the plan – our TV broke last week."

Billy makes a face at his son. "And, of course, Jacob was anxious to see Bella again." Jacob scowls and ducks his head, and Bella burns red. The elder Black addresses me. "How come you weren't at the beach too, Emma?"

I force an innocent laugh from my throat at his thinly veiled accusation. "I was grounded that day. I'm coming out tomorrow, though."

"Are you all hungry?" Bella tries to escape the tension by ducking into the kitchen. Jacob replies that he and his father ate before coming here, but Charlie accepts the offer. I follow my sister and help prep for dinner. It looks like she's making grilled cheeses. As I pull out a tomato to slice up, Jacob joins us.

"Hey, Emma. It's nice to see you again. I don't know if you really remember me?"

He's smiling effortlessly; there's a natural genuineness and enthusiasm about him. It's hard to resist, almost contagious. "Yeah, of course Jacob. It's really nice to see you too. I can't believe you're so tall and driving and everything."

His laugh fills the room; even Bella smiles. This seems to have been his goal, because he turns his attention to her. "How are things?"

"Pretty good. How about you? Did you finish your car? Em, he builds cars."

"No, I still need parts. We borrowed that one." He points with his thumb in the direction of the front yard. Bells laments not behind able to find whatever cylinder for him, which he grins off. Suddenly, he asks if something is wrong with the truck.

"No," I answer indignantly. I take great care of that thing!

"Oh, I just wondered because Bella wasn't driving it before." To Bella's distracted reply of getting a ride with a friend, he compliments the Volvo. I make a mental note to never tell Cullen that someone thinks his car is nice. "I didn't recognize the driver, though. I thought I knew most of the kids around here. My dad seems to know him from somewhere."

"Jacob, could you hand me some plates from the cupboard by your head?" I jump in, trying to absorb some of Bella's anxiety through the twin-sense. May he'll drop it with a distraction. I pull some napkins from a drawer so it looks like I'm doing something useful too.

He fetches the plates in silence, but our hopes dash as he sets them on the counter next to Bella. "So, who was it?"

She sighs in defeat. "Edward Cullen."

To our surprise, he laughs. We glance up at him. He looks a little embarrassed. "Guess that explains it, then. I wondered why my dad was acting so strange."

"That's right." Bella fakes an innocent expression. "He doesn't like the Cullen's."

"Superstitious old man," Jacob mutters under his breath. He suddenly looks to me, cringing. Oh fuck, that's right, I'm supposed to have no idea what they're talking about. "There's this old Quilete tale about Cold Ones, immortal creatures who drink human blood. It's sort of a thing with our elders that the Cullen's might be some, so they're not allowed on the rez."

"Ah, yeah that would certainly create a rift." That's a neutral response, right?

"You don't think your dad would say anything to Charlie, do you?" Bella can't help asking, words coming out in a low rush. She worries her bottom lip into her mouth.

Jacob stares at her for a moment, dark eyes unreadable. "I doubt it," he finally answers. "I think Charlie chewed him out pretty good last time. They haven't spoken much since – tonight is sort of a reunion. I don't think he'd bring it up again."

"They've argued about this before?" This time it's me who can't help myself. Could Charlie have been exposed to the truth, too? How many of my damn family members have a thing about vampires? Bella shoots me a look that clearly says, _please shut the hell up_.

"Yeah," Jacob winces. "Charlie got pretty mad at my dad when he heard that some of us weren't going to the hospital anymore since Dr. Cullen started working there."

Absolutely fair. I try to swing the discussion back into safe territory. "Yeah, Charlie really likes them for some reason. Is there another hospital you all use, then? You're getting good emergency medical care when needed, right?"

His expression eases. "Yeah, we're all good. Thanks for the concern, Emma."

We all gather in the front room after Bella carries in the food. She pretends to watch the game, actually eavesdropping on the men's conversation for any sign that Billy is about to rat her out, while Jacob chatters at me. He's super sweet, telling me all about his car hobby and his best friends Embry and Quil, and school on the reservation. His comradery is so seamless and easy to reciprocate. We agree that he and his boys should stop for a hello while I'm at the beach with Angela, and that we should all hang out sometime soon. His gaze slides to Bella as we plan, practically making heart-eyes at her. I bite my smile into my cheek—he may be a little younger, but they would be cute. If the Edward thing doesn't work out…in the good way.

Finally, the game ends and the Black gentlemen head out. Charlie encourages them to come back for the next game. "Sure, sure," Billy says. "We'll be here. Have a good night. It was nice to see you again, Emma. I'm glad you're enjoying the car." His eyes shift to Bella and his smile disappears. "You take care, Bella."

"Thanks," she mutters, looking away.

We head for the stairs while Charlie waves from the doorway, but then he calls us back. Bella cringes, but he looks relaxed, still grinning from the unexpected visit. "I didn't get a chance to talk to you girls tonight. How was your day?"

"Good," we reply in unison. Haven't done that in a while. It feels nice. I pick up for us. "Both our badminton teams won all four games."

"Wow, I didn't know you could play badminton." His furry eyebrows raise at Bella in particular, making her blush.

"Well," she amends, "actually I can't, but my partner is really good."

"Who is it?" he asks with token interest.

"Um, Mike Newton," she admits reluctantly.

"Oh yeah, you said you two were friends with the Newton kid. Nice family." He muses for minute. "Why didn't you ask him to the dance this weekend?"

"Dad!" Bella groans, and I have to hold back snickers. "He's kind of dating our friend Jessica. Besides, you know I can't dance."

"Oh yeah." He smiles up at us apologetically. "So, I guess it's good you'll be gone Saturday…I've made plans to go fishing with the guys from the station. The weather's supposed to be real warm. But if you wanted to put your Seattle trip off till someone could go with you—since Emma's going to the beach now—I'd stay home. I know I leave you girls here alone too much."

"Dad," I coo, "you're doing a great job."

Bella smiles, her relief showing through a bit too much. "We've never minded being alone. Too much like you." She winks at him, and he smiles his crinkly-eyed smile back at us.

* * *

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2005

.

A prickle scissors through the twin-sense at lunch. My messy ponytail whips my in my own face as I turn to see what's bothering Bella, only to find her looking across the lunchroom, at neither Edward nor me. I follow her stare to the Cullen's table. Three of them peer aimlessly in different directions in front of untouched trays of food, like usual. But Rosalie Hale glares daggers into my sister. My veins start to boil, and I close the twin-sense to think, as loudly as I can, at Edward: _Tell her to cool it before I do_.

I watch him break off mid-sentence, scowling, and the demon Barbie unlocks her gaze from Bella. The new couple share a chagrinned moment and Rosalie turns into a bored statue once more. Out of the corner of my eye I keep tabs on the Cullen table and my mental connection piqued. Soon enough, movement. Alice bounds across the room with a little too much zoom, halting behind Edward and startling Bella. He introduces them. My blood heats up again. Telling myself to chill, I try to listen to my friends' conversation again. Alice wasn't necessarily doing anything wrong right now. She just drives me up the wall in general.

When the bell tolls for the end of lunch, I'm still burdened with aggravation and make a hasty decision. Masked by the intercom's loud chiming and the bustle of student movement, I whisper, "Rosalie. Woods."

None of my friends notice that I don't head in my usual direction, and I walk into the trees without detection. I will constantly be amazed that other kids don't skip class more if it's this easy all the time. As soon as I'm far enough in, almost to where I'd argued with Alice only a week ago, Rosalie appears in a huff.

"What, Swan?"

I stumble back at her sudden presence but try to school myself quickly. I frown under her glower. "Stop scaring my sister."

She scoffs, almost a laugh if her eyes weren't so angry. "You should feel grateful I'm only scaring her, Emma. Did you know she knows?" When I don't say anything, sucking in my cheeks, she looks like an unpinned grenade. "You knew she found out and didn't warn us?!"

"Uh, duh! Are you kidding? Neither of us wanted her to find out, Hale. But my duty is to her, just as yours is to your own family. Now we all have to fucking deal with this humanely, okay?"

Her eyes narrow at me. "Does she even know you're involved?"

I cross my arms and shift my weight, remembering last night and how we just let the unknown hang in the air between us. "No. I don't know what to do about that part." My anxieties rush in again, like every time I think about telling her. Will Bella hate me? Will it make her even more devoted to Edward if she learns what happens to Mircalla?

For a moment, I think I see Rosalie's hard expression ease, but it's gone too quickly to know if it was real. "Well figure it out fast. Alice saw Edward introducing her to the family at our house on Sunday."

The hairs on the back of my neck reach for the sky. "What?!" She doesn't reply, just rolls her eyes. Nature's humidity thickening in my lungs, making it hard to breathe. Suddenly everything feels too real, too three-dimensional, too green. My thoughts spiral, the depth of fucked Bella and I are dizzying my vision. I envision Edward's passion turning crazed, Alice foreseeing every attempt of escape, Rosalie's violent fury, Jasper's hungry black eyes, Emmett's lethal muscles, the seamless clean-up of Dr. Cullen's influence, and the glass walls of Esme's house shattering in. I squeeze my eyes shut, lowering into a squat over the dirt so that the vertigo can't get visual. I may hear Rosalie growl something, but I'm too consumed. Just when I start to feel hot, despite the cool air around us, something freezing cold presses against my forehead.

"Jesus Christ, Emma, pull yourself together." Rosalie's silvery voice demands. Looking up through my eyelashes, I find the cold thing on my head to be her hand; she's crouching down over me, grimacing. Tears threaten to spill, so I press one of my hands over hers, staying it to my face, and use the other to cover my eyes. Somehow, this makes it feel like she can't see me breaking down and absolutely embarrassing myself.

"I don't know what to do, Rosalie. I-I don't know how to go back. I don't know how to fix this." A sob wells up in my chest, but I do my best to whimper it back down. I can't cry in front of her, I can't.

The vampyress huffs above me. "Well, thanks to our idiot siblings, there's no going back right now. So we're both just going to have to deal with this." She retracts her hand from my forehead, swatting my own away. "Get up. Stop showing off."

"Excuse me?" I shout, the tears finally falling down my face as I spring upward.

Her nose crinkles like she smells something foul, glancing away from me. "The crying. Cut it out. You have no idea how annoying it is to someone who can't."

I try to compartmentalize, shove my worries into cages and the tears with them. I have to admit though, I feel slightly better how that my emotions manifested externally, even a little. I wonder if that's why Rosalie is mad about it. Could a perfect being even feel jealousy?

After a moment, I wipe my face with the back of my hoodie sleeve and take a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak out on you. I know you hate this as much as I do."

She scoffs. "Indeed." Unable to let us linger and waste more of her precious time, she flips her golden hair over her shoulder and sighs impatiently. "So, are we done with this little love fest? I'm missing class presentations in World History."

"Right, because your future totally depends on your grades," I mutter. _Probably not great for_ my _future that I'm skipping French_ again _right now…_ I take a calming breath. Gotta play nice. "Just, before you go – please, I want your real opinion. From one displeased sister to another. Do you think I should be honest with Bella?"

This seems to surprise her, because her gaze whips back to me. Her inky pupils shrink into their topaz irises with the intensity of her stare. She finally blinks—unnecessary to her physically, but must be a habit from her human years, a self-signal to an end of a thought. "Yes. Let your story be a warning to her. She needs a healthy dose of reality. If she'll listen to anyone, hopefully it's you."

With that, she pushes past me, only entering her natural inhuman pace once she's sure I've turned to see her saunter away and disappear. Dramatic, but effective, I have to say.

Checking my swatch, I see there's still most of French left. It feels silly to go now, no matter how irresponsible. I decide to go wait out the rest of the period in the Chevy, get some art and/or homework done. I end up staring through my Physics textbook for half an hour. Dismal predictions of my talk with Bella swirl in my mind. The dismissal bell startles me back into the present, and I rush to the gymnasium.

I barely register getting changed in the locker rooms and gathering with Bell and Mike while we wait for Coach Clapp to start today's badminton tournament. I only catch the end of their weirdly vibed conversation. "You know, you could come to the dance with our group anyway – that would be cool," Mike says to her. "We'd all dance with you."

"I'm _not_ going to the dance, Mike, okay?" She replies forcefully.

"Fine. I was just offering." He sulks. Looking around her brunette head, he makes a half-hearted attempt to include me. "You could come with us, too, Emma, if you're not busy."

Side-eyeing my sister, my breath hitches in residual panic. "Sure, Mike, maybe. I'll think about it." Maybe I will, who knows. I might need the excuse to escape my twin after I spill my entire beans to her.

Bella looks at me in surprise. Yeah, just you wait, Bellsy, you don't even know what surprise is yet. I resolve to tell her tomorrow afternoon, after the beach. Then, if she reacts badly, I'll go to the dance. And if she reacts…Bella-esque…well, I guess I'll just have to see what happens next myself.

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 **A/N:** As always, please drop any constructive criticism in a review! Thanks to everything who's reviewed and followed and favorited so far - your support means a lot :)


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